Single Daddies and Their Ugly Titan Children
by Allie Chick
Summary: Levi is a single man who happens to have acquired two rowdy children. His next door neighbor, Erwin, is a recently widowed father of one. Due to their unique circumstances, the two families start spending time together, in a sort of odd happy family. Eruri and an abundance of fluff
1. Chapter 1

_Levi's Family_

The level of noise his children could make never ceased to amaze Levi. Like a tiny pair of elephants, they stomped up and down the hall just outside his open office door. Eren's unmistakable angry yells were accompanied with Mikasa's quieter pleading whines following close behind. With a small sigh of resignation Levi dared look at the clock. It was only 15 minutes into their hour of quiet time (the clever code name for nap time, because both of his children were averse to anything nap related).

"I'm counting to three!" he called out in warning.

Apparently his voice wasn't threatening enough or (more likely) couldn't be heard. The ruckus continued.

"One."

"Two."

Still, the little stinks didn't stop. From his desk, Levi could hear Eren screaming at Mikasa to leave him alone and Mikasa quietly crying that Eren wasn't being fair. Levi pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly, knowing that if he said 'three' he'd have to follow through and get up from his desk. As writing time was rare for the father of two 4 year olds, any time away from his desk meant more time spent awake at night. But, as Levi wasn't currently going to get anything done with his children acting like animals, he stood.

"Three."

The moment he stepped out of his office and into the hallway, Eren was hobbling around the corner and Mikasa wasn't far behind. As soon as he saw Levi with the disappointed look on his face, Eren froze and ducked his head in shame. On the other hand, Mikasa- holding Eren's old red baby blanket tightly her in arms as usual- sidled up to Levi's legs, rubbing her tears into his knees and Levi tried not to think about stains on his trousers.

"Eren, Mikasa," Levi said firmly. "Do you know what you're supposed to be doing right now?"

"Having quiet time," Eren answered with shame. He looked up with a pleading and bright teal eyes glittering with gathering tears. "I'm sorry Papa. But 'kasa kept sitting close to me and wouldn't leave me alone."

"I don't want to be alone. I want to be with Eren," Mikasa mumbled, still crying quietly.

With a sigh, Levi crouched down to look at his children on eye level. He reached out an arm and pulled Mikasa to his side and took one of Eren's hands with his remaining free one. Trying to soften his expression- which was known for being naturally stern and intimidating- Levi looked both of his children in the eye.

"Eren, remember when we talked about asking people nicely to stop doing something we don't like?" he asked.

The scruffy brown hair on Eren's head bounced as he nodded quickly, wanting to show his Papa that he had listened well.

"And did you ask Mikasa nicely to stop before you started running away and yelling?" Levi further questioned.

More hesitatingly this time, Eren shook his head no. Tears started spilling down his cheeks again, with the shame of disobeying his Papa. Eren adored Levi and hated to disappoint him. Levi felt it reflected poorly on him as a father, if his child was always in fear of losing his Papa's love. He suspected it was due to his generally aura of grumpiness and blunt way of parenting. After all, Levi was given custody of Eren when he was only 2 years old and it had only been the two of them, until Mikasa joined them one year later.

"Come here," Levi instructed, pulling Eren closer and giving him a one armed hug, similar to Mikasa. "It's okay," he said firmly. "I'm not angry with you. I only wish that you would follow the rules and do as I say."

Eren's wet face rubbed a nod into his Papa's shoulder and Levi tried not to worry about the snot smeared on his sleeve.

"Good. Now, Eren, can you apologize for not asking nicely?" Levi asked- but both knew it wasn't a request- and turned his attention to his little girl. "Mikasa, can you apologize for chasing after Eren when he didn't want to play with you?"

The rowdy little boy immediately offered a muffled apology. Mikasa however, didn't obey and only clung tighter to Levi. The grip she had on both Eren's red blanket and her father was surprisingly tight for a 4 year old. Levi sighed, understanding the reasoning behind Mikasa's defiance. He leaned his head in close and repeated the instruction. His little girl only made small whining noises.

"But I want to play with Eren. I don't want to be alone," she worried.

Levi's arm that was around Eren moved to join his other around Mikasa. It was just as he expected. Unlike Eren, who had come an orphan from a loving family -through a very odd set of circumstances, as not many social workers would put children in the custody of single men- Mikasa had come from the foster care system and had a history of neglect and abandonment. As a result, Mikasa often became very dependent on Eren and Levi. It was why she always had Eren's red blanket with her and why she was always within an arm's length.

"You're not alone Mikasa," Levi assured her and Eren immediately voiced his agreement.

Levi made a mental note to praise Eren for his reassurances later. When Mikasa had joined their family, Levi had explained her situation to the boy and, despite being 3, Eren had understood. That moment he and declared that he would always try to protect Mikasa from the scary feelings and offered his prized red baby blanket to her.

"Your brother and I will always be here to love and help you," Levi continued to assure Mikasa. "But sometimes it's important to have alone time. It doesn't mean we don't love you. We're still there."

Mikasa nodded slowly in understanding, but didn't say anything. It was normal, as she was generally a quiet child, but Levi wanted to be sure she was alright (damn if he'd screw up his kids more than they already were).

"So, we're going to continue quiet time," Levi stated.

The child visibly tensed in his arms. Levi sighed internally. He knew that Mikasa would obey his order, even though she didn't want to. She was still shaken up and anxious, so forcing her into quiet time would only lead to more traumatization.

"Mikasa, do you…" Levi trailed off, taking an extra moment to consider if he really wanted his writing time to be further interrupted. No, he didn't, but his daughter's mental health was more important. "Do you want to sit with me for the rest of quiet time?"

The little girl nodded her head eagerly with a small smile. Eren on the other hand looked at his Papa with a jealous pout.

"That's not fair! I want to sit with Papa too!" he whined, gripping Papa's sleeve. His whines are cut short by a sharp look from Papa.

Levi stood up, holding Mikasa on his left hip. Before returning to his room, Eren pouted longingly at his Papa, who shooed the little boy away. Dejectedly, Eren toddled away and shut the door to his shared bedroom with Mikasa. With a sigh, Levi returned to his desk and settled Mikasa on his lap. It was difficult to type with a small child on his leg, leaning against his chest and entwining her small fingers in his shirt. Awkwardly he reached around her to work, trying not to jostle her too much. Gratefully, Mikasa was quiet and understood that she shouldn't interrupt her Papa's work. As Levi expected, Mikasa dozed off towards the end of the hour and Levi gave himself a break to hold his little girl and rest his eyes.

Exactly at the moment quiet time ended, Eren was in Papa Levi's office, climbing onto his lap. Being Eren, he did none of this quietly, but instead moved like a baby dinosaur (something Eren had once said he wished he wanted to be) making noise and ungracefully forcing himself onto his Papa's lap. Levi groaned as Mikasa woke with a disorienting start and made her little whines- he knew exactly how grumpy Mikasa could get when her naps were interrupted.

"Eren- Ow!" Levi tried to speak, but was cut short by his own cry of pain as his son's little knee jabbed into his thigh. He grunted and arranged the little monkey into a more comfortable position on his lap. "Eren stop wiggling!" he commanded, to which Eren marginally obeyed.

"Papa, quiet time's over! So I can play with you right?"

Levi didn't have time to respond before Mikasa chimed in with a complaining, "But Eren, I want to play with you!"

It was quickly settled when Papa announced that he needed to make dinner so neither of them could play with him and Eren and Mikasa decided they would help him make dinner instead. Like most children, they were more of a hindrance than a help and Levi tried not to cringe every time they ruined the perfect order of his kitchen. In the end, Eren sat on the floor with a dirty wooden spoon and a face red with frustration while Mikasa stood beside her Papa with one messy hand hanging on to his trousers.

Levi, the slightly neurotic father of two troubled children, sighed and looked on his family. They were special and broken, but perhaps their brokenness fit together in a way that made them whole somehow. It wasn't an easy task, being a single parent, but they would make it work.

* * *

AN: YAAAY DOMESTIC FLUFF. Clearly, that is all I'm capable of writing.

Erwin and his family will be introduced next. I can't promise this will have any sort of regular update schedule... But thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.

Love,

Allie


	2. Chapter 2

_Erwin's Family_

The routine in the Smith household was strictly observed by both members of the apartment. It wasn't because of any rules or consequences that were enforced, but rather because both were creatures of habit. Erwin and his four year old son, Armin, found a sense of peace and closeness from their mutual, silently agreed upon routine.

It started at 6:15 am when Armin crawled into his Daddy's bed for some morning snuggles. Quietly he padded across the hall from his room to the open door of his father's. Daddy's door was always left open a crack as an invitation for Armin to come in whenever he needed to. His little hands gripped the sheets of the bed as he pulled himself up and carefully crawled over to his Daddy's sleeping form. Erwin always slept on his back, so Armin liked to curl up on his chest in the morning. After several moments, Erwin sighed and wrapped a warm arm around his son's tiny form.

"Good morning Daddy," Armin murmured.

In return came a low grunt that rumbled in Erwin's chest and a hand running through Armin's soft hair. Erwin was never quite able to form a more coherent response after just waking, but Armin didn't mind and curled closer to his father's touch and kissed his scraggily chin.

Armin seemed to intuitively know that his Daddy generally needed more prompting to get up and going than most people. Snuggles in bed were a pleasant method to start the day off and get Erwin moving. After a sufficient amount of cuddles and kisses, Erwin carried Armin to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Cereal or waffles?" Erwin asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Waffles please," Armin answered as he climbed onto his designated chair and settled on the table with a little cup of milk. The waffles were frozen of course; Erwin didn't have the time or desire to make anything in the morning. "Can I have them with jam and sugar, please?"

"Of course Armin," Erwin replied and prepared the freshly toasted waffles with strawberry jam and a dusting of powder sugar, the way his son liked them best.

"Thank you Daddy," Armin said when the plate was placed before him.

Erwin smiled and kissed the top of his head. He wasn't sure how his boy had turned out so sweet and well behaved, but he suspected it was inherited from Armin's mother. After all, his looks were all his father's, but Erwin could only see his late wife in his sweetness. Of course, there were other personality traits of Armin's that were clearly a reflection of his father, such as the way he always seemed to be able to get his way.

"Go get dressed and brush your teeth," Erwin instructed as Armin finished eating.

Like the obedient child he was, Armin nodded, slipped off the chair, and padded off to his room. It didn't take long for the boy to join Erwin in the bathroom that they shared; having traded his blue flannel pajamas for tan shorts and a teal polo (Armin had a great fondness for blues and purples). They stood on each side on the sink, Armin on a stepstool, both brushing their teeth and Armin carefully mirroring his father's movements. Next, Armin brushed his hair with delicate movements while Erwin shaved and styled his own blond mop.

"Daddy, help please," Armin whined softly with the brush tangled in a particularly large knot.

His hair was fine, silky, and was unfortunately prone to disastrous bed head. With a smirk, Erwin took the brush from the smaller hands and gently pulled the bristles through the knotted mess. Thanks to Hanji, Erwin knew how to start from bottom of the tangle and work his way up to ease the pain and reduce the amount of hair pulling (without their help, Erwin wouldn't know how to deal with Armin's longer locks).

"There, all done," Erwin stated with another kiss, before Armin hopped off the stool and started preparing himself for Hanji's arrival.

By the time 7:15 rolled around, the time that Hanji arrived, Armin was settled in the living room. His favorite doll sat in his lap as he brushed her hair (her name was Tricia and she wanted to be a scientist, but was still in school at the moment). There was also a stack of books he wanted to read with Hanji; the day's theme being marine biology. Then came a goodbye kiss from Dad, this time on the forehead and against Armin's pale bangs.

"Be good for Hanji," Erwin instructed, even though he knew it was unnecessary. Hanji and Armin absolutely adored each other and they had few problems babysitting.

"I will Daddy! Love you," Armin waved farewell, before being distracted by Hanji who was asking how Tricia was doing.

The two didn't see each other again until Erwin came back from work, right on time for dinner. Erwin had grown accustomed to being greeted at the door by Armin, who immediately began talking about everything he'd done that day.

"And then Hanji read that book about different sharks," Armin explained, following his Daddy from the front door, past Hanji preparing dinner in the kitchen, and into Daddy's room. "Did you know, there's a shark, I think it's called the macko-mak- mako shark, that can jump up to 24 feet in the air!"

"That's very interesting Armin," Erwin replied sincerely. He always tried to show interest in what Armin had to tell him. His boy had a curious mind and Erwin wanted to encourage that as much as possible. "Do you know where those kind of sharks live?" he asked as he shucked off his dress shoes and removed his tie.

The little blond head nodded quickly. "Yes! Hanji says they live in warm water. Like the gulf of Mexico," he answered with a little bob of his head.

Like a little chatty shadow, Armin followed his Daddy back into the kitchen where Hanji was pulling frozen lasagna out of the oven. Hanji never stayed for dinner, but always helped make it. They understood that dinner time was special for the father and son duo.

"Thank you Hanji, as always," Erwin thanked them as they prepared to leave.

Hanji waved a hand. "It's no problem. As always, Armin was a little angel."

Beside Erwin, Armin gripped his slacks and was beaming with pleasure. He loved getting compliments from Hanji.

"Thank you Hanji!" Armin parroted to them, waving goodbye. He giggled loudly when Hanji tickled his tummy in farewell.

Then with a kiss on Erwin's cheek goodbye, Hanji was gone and the boys sat down for their dinner. Dinner time was special for Armin. It was when he animatedly explained everything that he'd done throughout the day. It was the only time he had his father's complete and undivided attention. Whether it was telling Erwin about the books Hanji read to him or the problems Tricia was having with her friends, Erwin would listen with rapt attention.

"I think I like orcas better than dolphins," Armin explained. "They can eat sharks!"

"Really?"

"Yes. And they live in cold water," Armin continued. "Orcas also have pretty patterns on them, in black and white. That's why I like them best" Armin thoughtfully scooped a piece of lasagna and brought it to his mouth before he continued. "Then Hanji wanted to go to the park, but I said no."

This perked Erwin's interest. He'd learned very quickly that Armin wouldn't outright discuss his problems or insecurities. Perhaps Armin didn't want to appear weak before his father, or maybe he preferred to quietly hide away his problems rather than taking care of them outright. Either way, it was a concern of Erwin's. To combat this, he learned how to pick up on the small bits Armin would drop in the midst of the rest of the information he shared.

"Why didn't you want to go to the park?" Erwin asked casually.

"Because it was sunny out today," Armin answered, the reasoning behind his thinking being clear to him. He didn't look up from his dinner plate, a sign he didn't want to talk more on the subject.

"Why is sunny bad?" Erwin prodded, knowing that he'd struck something important.

With a little sigh, Armin answered. "Because when it's sunny those older boys are there," he explained, sounding a little exasperated. "And they say that girly things are dumb, which isn't true. Hanji and Daddy say so. And girly things are nicer anyway," he concluded with his face screwed up in a little frustrated frown. "But they don't listen to me."

When he finished Erwin nodded in understanding. "They aren't very nice, are they?"

"No, they aren't," Armin confirmed.

"That's too bad," Erwin lamented. "It's okay if you don't want to go to park, but let Hanji know when someone else isn't being nice to you, alright?"

Solemnly Armin nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

Quickly, Erwin redirected the conversation. "So, what did Tricia do today?"

After dinner and clean up, bedtime came quickly. Before bed, Armin would always change into is pajamas and then read a story with his Daddy before bed. He rested in his father's lap, leaning against the arm wrapped around him. The rumbling feeling from being against Daddy's chest was soothing to Armin and helped him relax for bedtime.

"Goodnight Armin," Erwin said as he tucked his little boy into bed. He ran his fingers through his hair and kissed his little nose. "Sleep tight."

As he pulled away, Armin's hand gripped his sleeve, holding him in place. This was a break in the routine. Patiently, Erwin looked at his son, saw the questioning look on his face, and waited for him to speak.

"Daddy," Armin began softly, "I know my Mommy's gone, but will I ever get a new one?"

Surprised by the question, Erwin pulled back a little, sitting up straight at the edge of Armin's bed. "Do you want a new Mommy?" he asked quietly.

"I think so," Armin said. "Hanji is almost like a Mommy. But they only stay during the day."

Erwin simply hummed in response. This was the touchy subject they never spoke of often. Of course, Armin understood that his mother had passed away when he was a baby and he'd never seemed to be very upset by that. On the same token, however, it brought the core reason for the father and son's routine into focus.

With the strict keeping of routine, Erwin and Armin had something that kept them together and halfheartedly filled that empty part of their lives. Despite how much Erwin loved his sweet little Armin, they never had enough time. Even though it had been three years since Marie's passing, her absence was strongly felt by Erwin. Armin was too young to remember her, but he still felt the absence of another parental figure. As he had said, Hanji was close, but not quite enough.

Erwin would always be grateful for their help in looking after Armin. The arrangement had started as a temporary one, when Erwin was so low in grief that he could barely look after himself let alone a one year old child. Before things had fallen apart, Hanji, one of Erwin's dear friends from university, stepped in and offered help. Things had certainly gotten better since then, but it didn't change the fact that Armin was asking Erwin this question now. A slow feeling of guilt settled into his stomach. Somewhere he was failing.

"Well, honey," Erwin began. "We'll just have to do our best without a Mommy. Is that okay?"

Armin nodded sleepily. "Yah, it's okay Daddy."

"Then goodnight," Erwin said, giving Armin's hand a comforting pat.

"Night Daddy," Armin said as Erwin got up and turned off the lights.

From the doorway, Erwin watched Armin curl up on his side and drift to sleep. To any outside observer, their family and its routine was nearly perfect. But Erwin knew that despite how much he tried, things weren't quite working. There was something that needed to change and Erwin wasn't sure getting married was really what needed to happen.

He and Armin could figure it out, though.

* * *

AN: Hello dears!

Really, this is going to be so tooth rottingly fluffy. There will be a plot, however. So stayed tuned for whenever it decides to appear.

Love,

Allie


	3. Chapter 3

**[This chapter has a trigger warning for night terrors]  
**

_Meet Cute_

Mornings in Levi's household went one of two ways: poorly or very poorly. This morning in particular wasn't off to a stellar start, which only meant the worst.

Levi heard the ruckus coming from his children's room before the crying started. With a resigned sigh, he opened his eyes and listened carefully, hoping that Eren would calm back down into a restful sleep. It was a vain hope. Moments later the crying started, coming from both Eren and Mikasa. A glance at the clock informed Levi that it was indeed before the crack of dawn, but still late enough to be considered morning. Ish.

"Papa!" Mikasa cried in panic as Levi rolled himself out of bed.

Despite the distress in her voice, Levi calmly made his way across the hallway. He knew from experience that if he appeared frantic, it would only agitate Mikasa further. Upon entering the children's room, Levi found a familiar scene.

Mikasa sat in a tight ball in the corner of the bed, leaning against the wall and away from Eren, with whom she shared the bed. Said bedmate was twisted and tangled in the sheets, making distressed cries and shouts while occasionally swinging his limbs at invisible assailants.

Just as Levi had anticipated.

Eren was having another night terror.

The terribly frustrated thing about night terrors was the fact that nothing could be done about them. It wasn't like a nightmare that Levi could soothe away the fear with a gentle shake awake followed by the security of his embrace. Literally the only thing that could be done was to wait it out and make sure the child didn't kick himself off the bed. Eren wouldn't even remember having the terror the next morning.

Unfortunately, Mikasa (and Levi, though he wouldn't admit it) were the ones who would have trouble falling asleep again and wake up with the memories of Eren in a state of panic.

Quietly, Levi approached the bed and sat on the edge. Expectedly, Eren's thrashing continued without change, but Mikasa crawled over to her father immediately. Without needing invitation she pulled herself onto his lap and clung to the front of his pajamas. With a sniffle, she curled into his body, seeking comfort. Automatically, Levi's hand went to her hair until she calmed down.

"Mikasa, Eren is fine. He's going to be fine," Levi whispered hoarsely, his throat still groggy from sleep. "Now, I need you to go to the kitchen, get yourself a glass of water, and wait for me to finish taking care of Eren. Can you do that for me?" he instructed softly. He knew it was best to remove her from the frightening situation as quickly as possible

Obediently, Mikasa nodded her head and grudgingly complied with Levi's request. Her small figure trembled as she waddled out of the room and Levi noticed she wasn't holding the infamous red blanket in her tight little fists. Tiredly, Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. He wished he could be more comforting, more able to accommodate his children's emotional needs. But he honestly had no clue what he was doing and couldn't fix everything at once. As a single parent he could only look after one of his distressed children at a time and Eren was the priority at the moment.

The night terrors had started shortly after Mikasa joined their awkward family. They were frustrating as well as elusive. Some months Eren went weeks without any. Other weeks were like this one and they struck almost nightly. The pediatrician had said that Eren's terrors were likely caused by stress, but Levi wasn't certain what he could do to help- other than carefully regulating Eren's sleep schedule. Asking Eren about what was causing him distress was about as helpful as Levi talking to the houseplants.

Levi let his hands card through Eren's perpetually messy hair as he watched him through the panic. The gesture was more for his own comfort rather than his son's and Levi understood this. It gave him something to do as he watched Eren's face scrunched up in fear. His messy eyebrows were furrowed over his tightly clenched eyes. The pallor of his skin was pale with fright, rather than the rich olive tone Levi adored. His mouth- which granted, had much experience shouting- was open in strangled cries.

All Levi could do was wait and try not to wake Eren up. Eventually, after several minutes, Eren began to calm down. The terror ended and he fell back into a peaceful sleep. Levi covered Eren with the blanket that had been thrown off of him during the ordeal and left a small kiss on his forehead.

Next, he had another child to calm down.

Mikasa was sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table in the living room with a cup of water in front of her (Levi forced himself to ignore that she hadn't used a coaster). The only light came from the kitchen, making the room filled with shadows. On the floor she looked small and fragile, but Levi knew she had incredible resilience. Her hands gripped the plastic cup tightly and her face was calm, with dried streaks of tears.

To Levi, Mikasa was still a puzzle. For the most part, she stayed calm and reserved, until the dam of her emotions broke and she became distressed and needy. Unfortunately, this occurred with increasing frequency in the recent weeks. It was all concerning to Levi, who knew all of this wasn't healthy behavior.

Wearily, Levi sat down beside his little girl. Subtly, she leaned towards him and he obligingly put an arm around her to hold her close.

"Is Eren okay?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Eren is fine," he assured her, unable to hide the tiredness from his voice.

After a moment, Mikasa looked up to her Papa and asked, "When are the scary sleeps going to stop?"

"I don't know," Levi answered honestly. "But the scary sleeps don't hurt Eren. He's fine."

Slowly Mikasa nodded. Levi knew she had trouble believing him.

Really, the terrors were most disturbing for Mikasa. And Levi himself, of course, but he was an adult and could handle it (or so he told himself, ignoring how it wrecked his already pitiful sleep schedule, added an extra frustration, and made him worry more for Eren's emotional health). But to Mikasa, the terrors didn't make sense and were frightening. The fact that they weren't harmful was difficult for her mind to grasp.

Levi waited until Mikasa's breathing slowed and her body leaned heavily against his to take her back to her room. Carefully, while slipping an arm under her for support, he stood up. He still hadn't quite mastered the art of putting a sleeping child to bed without waking them up and Mikasa was jostled awake when he tucked her in bed beside Eren. Luckily she blearily closed her eyes and rolled over, slipping back into sleep.

As silently as possible, Levi crept back out of the room and wearily fell back into bed. Glancing at the clock, Levi hoped the kids would sleep in.

They didn't.

The morning went bad to worse.

"Eren, I am not making anything else! You will eat your eggs or go hungry!" Levi stated firmly, his voice rising. He stood at the sink with an apron over his pajamas because he hadn't had the chance to get ready and was scrubbing at the scorched eggs on the bottom of a pan.

"No! Eggs are icky!" Eren cried angrily from his seat at the table.

"I like eggs," Mikasa offered quietly, sitting across the table. She was ignored.

With suds up to his elbows, Levi turned around. "Eat your eggs or go hungry!" he ordered, giving Eren a reprimanding look.

That unfortunately, did nothing to calm Eren down. "That's not fair!" he wailed. Being swept up in his tantrum, Eren picked up the plate of eggs and dumped them on the floor.

The eggs, being fried and sunny up, splattered yolk everywhere.

All at once the whole apartment seemed to freeze.

"Eren, no," Mikasa whispered, a little too late.

The tantrum Eren was throwing dissipated and instantly he regretted his decision. Tears began to well up and he hunched his shoulders in shame. All eyes were on Papa Levi, who stood in the middle of the kitchen eyes tightly shut and pinching the bridge of his nose with soapy hands. Eren knew that he'd pushed Papa to his limits.

He didn't quite understand why, but Eren understood that messes made Papa very upset. He'd seen Papa scrubbing at a seemingly clean room for hours, until his knuckles were bleeding. Papa tried to explain to Eren that it was something he almost couldn't control. That messes made Papa anxious and scared and cleaning helped him calm down. Together, Eren and Papa Levi had made a deal: Eren would practice not getting angry and Papa would practice not being scared of messes.

"I'm sorry Papa," Eren whispered quietly when Levi hadn't moved for several moments.

Internally, Levi was trying to beat down the panic that was rising quickly up his throat. He wouldn't lose his temper at his kids. _It wasn't their fault. It's just a little spill. No need to panic. _Normally such a small spill wouldn't affect him so strongly, but with the ordeal the night before he was already more agitated than usual. Counting in his head, Levi took a deep breath in (…4, 5, 6, 7) and out (…7, 8, 9, 10). The deep breathing brought Levi's anxiety down and he opened his eyes to take in the mess.

The first thing he saw however were his sweet little brats, watching him with concern, Eren nearly in tears.

That did wonders for his parental guilt.

"I'm not angry, Eren," Levi said carefully. He was still upset at Eren's outburst- it was hardly tolerable behavior. "But it's not acceptable to throw your food if you don't like it. You will help me clean it up." His voice was stern, perhaps more than it needed to be.

Eren nodded meekly in response.

And that was when the doorbell rang.

Still flustered, Levi hurried to the door grumbling at who could be bothering them this early in the morning. What he found on the other side of the door was a tall, blond impeccably dressed (handsome, Levi noted) man carrying a similarly blond and well groomed child. Levi recognized them as neighbors across the hall.

"Hello, I'm Erwin Smith and I live just across the hall. I'm sorry to disturb you so early but I noticed you have children and had a favor to-" the man began before stopping short when he took in the scene before him.

From the doorway, he could see straight past the small living room area and into the kitchen, where the two upset children sat in front of the eggy mess. His eyes moved back to the sudsy, short, irritated Levi before him.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Have I come at a bad time?"

* * *

AN: Thanks so much for all the feedback! Sorry for the delay for this chapter.

To clarify, I have purposely kept everyone's mental problems as undiagnosed- partially because the characters don't know themselves and partially because I don't want to misrepresent mental illness and atypical neurological people.

Hope you enjoy it!

Love,  
Allie


	4. Chapter 4

_First Impressions_

When Erwin got up this morning, he hadn't expected he'd be pawning off his child to a near stranger, but this particular morning was defying all expectations and routines as far as he was concerned. Hanji had cancelled because of a family emergency and Erwin had spent 20 desperate minutes trying to find someone to take care of Armin.

Lo and behold, he was at his neighbor's door, simply because Erwin remembered there were children living there.

"Yes, it's a bad time," his neighbor answered shortly. Erwin didn't know the man, but he was surprised by his bluntness. He wasn't even trying to be polite- but Erwin supposed that was probably the result of spending all his patience on his children. "I think that's a little obvious," The neighbor continued, with a gesture vaguely behind himself, towards his children in the kitchen.

Erwin was a little taken back but continued on. "I apologize, but it's rather urgent. My usual nanny has cancelled last minute and I need someone to look after my son," he lightly bounced the child in his arm for indication. "I normally wouldn't ask this, but I don't have many options. Armin's very well behaved-"

"Fine," his neighbor cut him off.

Erwin blinked with surprise. "Pardon?" he asked politely.

The shorter man sighed and opened his door wider to allow Erwin and Armin to enter. "I said he can stay," he repeated, a little annoyed.

Gratitude, relief, and concern washed through Erwin simultaniously. At least now Armin had a place to stay while he was at work- and even a place that had other children- but at the same time, Erwin wasn't very familiar with this neighbor to whom he was entrusting his son's wellbeing. If the situation wasn't so dire, if Erwin wasn't already running late to work, he would've taken the time to learn more and feel more comfortable with the situation.

Regardless, Erwin stepped through the doorway into the neighbor's apartment. Not surprisingly, its layout was the same as his own, simply reversed (which was oddly disconcerting). Aside from the egg mess in the kitchen, which Erwin assumed was caused by the sheepish looking little boy, the house was clean and nearly spotless. That, at least, was comforting.

"Come here Mikasa, Eren," the neighbor instructed, motioning for his children. "Don't be rude and come meet…"

"Armin," Erwin supplied.

Quickly, the boy- Eren, he supposed- strode forward looking much less ashamed and full of eagerness. Quietly the girl followed behind, clutching a red blanket in her hand. She appeared less certain with the situation at hand and immediately went to stand beside her father. Erwin couldn't help but notice that neither child looked particularly like their dad and they certainly didn't look related to each other either. But, Erwin didn't let himself jump to conclusions. After all, his family wasn't particularly normal either.

"Hi!" Eren waved enthusiastically, "My name is Eren."

Still sitting on Erwin's hip, Armin offered a weak little wave. From the way Armin had his hand wrapped in his Daddy's shirt and held on to Tricia was a clear indication to Erwin that he didn't want to be left here. It was understandable, as Armin struggled to get along with other children his age. Erwin tried not to be concerned by it, as Armin had a timid personality and was naturally more mature than other kids. But it would be good for him to have some social interaction beyond the two grownups he saw every day.

"It'll be okay," Erwin quietly encouraged as he set Armin down.

"Armin, this is Mikasa and Eren," the short neighbor introduced. Erwin noted that his tone was more patient toward his son, which was a good sign.

Armin mumbled a hello, before the boy eager took his hand to show him his room. The girl followed behind without any encouragement from her father.

"Looks like they'll get along," Erwin noted optimistically.

The neighbor simply hummed in response, neither in agreement or contradiction. His eyes had followed the children down the hall and he appeared distracted.

"Again, I apologize for the sudden intrusion," Erwin continued, taking it as his cue to leave. "Thank you so much for this, Mr…"

"Just Levi is fine," he answered, looking back to Erwin. "And it's no big deal. What's one more child? He can't possibly be as rowdy as the ones I have already," Levi stated dryly.

Erwin doubted that Armin would do well with 'rowdy' but it'd have to do, for today.

Clearing his throat, Erwin offered a weak smile. "Well, then I'll be back to pick Armin up around 6:30," Erwin stated. "Again, thank you so much for doing this."

Levi shrugged and held the door open as Erwin left.

As he commuted to his job, Erwin silently hoped that Armin would get along well and that things would work out nicely. If not, it probably wouldn't be too much of a problem; they hardly saw their neighbors in the first place. If things did work out well, then perhaps Armin would have some new friend- and perhaps Erwin would make a new acquaintance as well.

* * *

"Are you a girl or a boy?" Eren asked with genuine curiosity once the three of them were in the children's bedroom.

Eren stood in the middle of the room and observed Armin hanging by the doorway, with Mikasa standing beside him. Being in a strange house so suddenly with people he'd never met, made Armin feel uneasy. In his arms he held Tricia tightly, ready to run back to the entryway. But Eren kept looking at Armin expectantly and waited for his answer.

"What?" Armin asked hesitantly, having not quite understood Eren the first time.

"Are you a girl or a boy?" Eren repeated, sounding exasperated. It was a simple question really.

Armin swallowed uncomfortably. Not many other kids liked him and Armin didn't think these ones would either. Especially if they found out Armin was a boy who liked girly things. This was, however, the first time anyone had directly asked him if he was a girl or a boy. Maybe he would answer like Hanji and say neither… would that be a lie?

Oblivious to Armin's internal struggle, Eren continued and offered an explanation for his question, "Your name is weird and your hair is long and you have a doll, but you dress like a boy. So I can't tell- ow!"

Mikasa had elbowed Eren and given him a stern look. Rubbing his side, Eren turned to his sister with a little scowl.

"What was that for 'kasa?" he demanded, sounding a little hurt.

With a pointed look in Armin's direction, she muttered, "You're being mean."

"I'm not!" Eren said defensively, turning to Armin to back him up. But he stopped when he saw the way Armin had hid his face in the head of his doll.

Concerned, he stepped forward. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Eren said quietly. "I just wanted to know. If… if you don't want to tell me, that's okay."

Armin looked up and saw the genuine concern in the boy's face. "It- it's okay," he replied hesitantly, lowering the doll from his face. "And… and I'm a boy."

Instantly, Eren broke out into a smile. "Cool, that's just like me!" Immediately he pointed to the doll and asked, "Why do you have a doll?"

Before Armin could answer though, Eren's intimidating father stepped into the doorway. Subconsciously, Armin shrank away from his presence.

"Eren," he said firmly. "You still need to clean up your mess from breakfast."

At the sound of his Papa's voice, Eren winced and his shoulders hunched in shame. Sheepishly he looked at the ground and trudged to his father and out of the room, leaving Armin and Mikasa standing silently across from each other. Armin stared at the ground, trying to collect himself. He really wished that Daddy hadn't left him here. A small cough from Mikasa redirected his attention, however.

"What's her name," Mikasa asked softly, pointing to the doll.

"Oh," Armin breathed in surprise. "Her name is Tricia." He held her up to show.

Mikasa lifted a hand away from the red blanket and offered a little wave to her.

"Do… do you want to hold her," Armin asked hesitantly, holding Tricia out in offering.

"Okay."

By the time Eren came back into the room (running with enthusiasm to get back to his new friend), Armin and Mikasa were sitting together, Mikasa with her own doll she didn't use often, talking politely to each other. Armin was relaxed and had a small smile on his face, but jumped with surprise when Eren burst in. Eren's wide green eyes observed the situation and Armin prepared himself for the teasing.

But to his surprise, Eren bounded forward to kneel beside them.

"Hey, I want to play with Armin too!" he complained. He turned his pleading eyes towards Armin. "Can I play with you and your doll?"

With a small blush and stutter Armin agreed. Perhaps these new people were not so bad.

* * *

At exactly 6:30, there was a knock at the door, just as Levi was putting the last dish on the table for dinner.

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin," he called on his way to answer it, "Go wash up for dinner."

Levi had figured since it would already dinner time when Erwin would be coming to pick up, Levi might as well invite the family to stay. So, while he prepared the meal (in blissful quiet and isolation) he simply doubled the recipe.

"Thank you so much," Erwin started as soon as the door opened. "Did everything go alright? We'll be out of your hair as quickly as possible."

"It's fine," Levi stated, brushing it off and waving Erwin into the house. He noted how tired Erwin looked and felt glad he thought of having him over for dinner. "Armin was great."

Honestly, it had been no trouble. Levi had guessed that the timid little boy wouldn't cause any trouble His only concern was that Eren's forceful personality would be too much for him. To Levi's surprise, having Armin over had actually made it _easier_ to take care of his own kids. The whole day went smoothly. Eren seemed calmer and for the first day in about a week, didn't have another tantrum. Levi was able to work on his writing for longer than the designating quiet time and the house stayed orderly. Even Mikasa was more lively and talkative.

Levi didn't know how Armin, the well-mannered and polite little thing that he was, managed to do all that. But he was certain that he wouldn't mind Armin coming over again (Levi wouldn't ever admit it out loud, but he wouldn't mind seeing Erwin's handsome face around again either).

The children, finished with their hand washing (leaving the front of Eren's shirt wet, but hands free of grime), hobbled out of the hall. Armin, already smiling and giggling at Eren's silly antics, smiled even wider when he caught sight of Erwin.

"Daddy!" he cried happily, running over to him. Erwin picked him up and accepted a kiss on the cheek. "Are you done with work already?"

"Yes, already," Erwin answered with a smile. To his surprise, Armin looked slightly disappointed at this.

"Papa, you said Armin could stay for dinner right?" Eren asked, popping up into the conversation (but literally and metaphorically.

In response, Levi nodded, looking to Erwin. He felt a small bit of pride at Erwin's surprised look. To ensure that Erwin couldn't back out, Levi shooed his children to the table, who were quickly followed by Armin, pulling away from his father's grip to join along.

"Oh no, we've already intruded long enough. We couldn't possibly stay-" Erwin fussed.

"Listen, it's no problem," Levi snapped impatiently. Honestly, how difficult was it going to be for him to do something nice for his neighbor? Then a calming sigh, he gestured towards the table, where Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were already seated. "I've already made the food. You might as well eat it."

Reluctantly, Erwin agreed. He shook off his suit coat and toed off his shoes before following the short man to the table. There were two places left, one at each end of the table. Erwin smiled gratefully and took a seat kitty corner to Armin as Levi took the seat at the other side. Eren and Mikasa had to squish together on one side of the table and Levi had to pull out the chair from his office, but none of that was a problem.

"I have to admit, Armin and I haven't had a home cooked meal in a while," Erwin said as they began to eat.

Levi raised an eyebrow at this in amusement. He himself was skilled enough in the kitchen and health conscious enough to cook every meal himself. His children wouldn't eat any of that frozen or premade crap. However, he understood that it would be difficult for Erwin, a single father who worked away from home, to cook.

"Well then, you better enjoy this," Levi replied wryly, before his attention being pulled away to Mikasa who needed her meat cut.

Erwin turned his attention to his son and asked, "Did you have a good day Armin?"

To his surprise, Armin nodded enthusiastically. "I had a lot of fun with Eren and Mikasa. They're really nice!" he gushed. "Tricia had fun too!" Shyly, Armin glanced in the direction of Levi, who still intimidated him, before turning back to his Daddy. "Do you think I could come again?"

Levi watched with interest as Erwin's smile grew more genuine and he looked towards him. Honestly, Levi was glad that Armin had enjoyed himself as well as his own children. It had been difficult for him to tell, as Armin seemed to be afraid of him (that didn't surprise Levi, most people, besides his own children, were intimidated by him).

"Maybe we can set up a playdate soon," Erwin suggested and Levi nodded in agreement.

Dinner ended smoothly and eventually, Levi was showing the Smith family out the door. Below his line of sight the little ones were having a spirited conversation of their own.

"Come and play again Armin!" Eren said, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Okay!" Armin agreed eagerly. He waved goodbye to both of them. "Bye Mikasa, bye Eren!"

"Bye," Mikasa replied softly.

"Really, I can't thank you enough for today," Erwin repeated again. Levi didn't know how many times he had to repeat himself, but it was really no problem. "How much should I pay you for looking after Armin?"

Immediately, Levi shook his head. The thought repulsed him. Levi knew he wasn't the friendliest guy, but couldn't he do something nice for someone without getting the third degree? Honestly, Erwin was getting a little obnoxious.

"Don't pay me. I told you, it's fine."

Naturally, Erwin persisted. "Please, I insist."

Levi scowled with annoyance. "No, it's not necessary," he stated firmly. He held up a hand before Erwin could insist further. "No, listen," he said again, voice softer, "I know how hard it is to be a single parent. Sometimes you need some extra help, so let me do this for you. We single dads need to look out for each other. "

Erwin didn't have a response to that, but nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright," he finally conceded. "Then I hope you return the favor sometime. Will we see you around?"

With a nod Levi replied, "Yes."

* * *

AN: I've been so surprised by the positive response to this, that I finished this chapter really quick for you guys!

Love,  
Allie


	5. Chapter 5

_Making Friends_

Once, after a terrible experience in which Papa had to leave Eren and Mikasa at a daycare for a few hours, Eren had decided he didn't like making new friends. When he had expressed this to his Papa, he'd only smiled sadly and patted his head and said, "Me too." Eren supposed that this wasn't a good thing or a bad thing. After all, he had Mikasa- did he need more friends than that? And, if Papa was the same, then not wanting to make friends couldn't be that bad. Because Papa was the closest thing Eren knew to perfection, he was pretty sure.

However, the morning after Armin came over, Eren wanted nothing more than to play with him again.

"Papa do you think Armin will come over again today?" he earnestly inquired at breakfast.

Papa turned around from the sink (because Papa never had anything for breakfast, except a cup of tea and the suds from cleaning dishes. Though Papa repeatedly told Eren that he didn't actually _eat_ the soap when he washed the dishes in the morning, even if it _was _during breakfast) and gave Eren an amused look.

"Did you have fun with him yesterday?" Papa Levi asked.

Eagerly, Eren nodded. "Yah. It was fun," he explained. He took another bite of his Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate chip pancake (they were the only kind of pancakes Eren would eat. He wasn't fond of anything that was too 'bready' as he had put it). With mouth full, he continued, "Armin was kinda weird. But I liked him."

Immediately, Eren was lightly scolded for talking with his mouth full and calling someone weird. With a little blush of shame, Eren ducked his head and apologized. Papa turned back to the sink and continued cleaning.

"Armin's dad and I did talk about a playdate," Papa Levi stated, "but I don't know if he'll be able to play today." As an afterthought he added, "I don't think I have their phone number either."

But Eren was nothing if not determined.

"Can't we just walk over and ask?" Eren persisted. He stood up in his chair, having completely abandoned his breakfast, to plead more properly. If he was taller, than Papa would listen to him better, or so he supposed. "Please? Please?"

"Eren don't beg," Papa responded immediately. "Besides, Armin's dad said he normally has a babysitter to watch him during the day. Today's probably not a good day Eren. You'll just have to wait until I can talk with Erwin again."

Of course Eren wasn't deterred. Instead, he engaged his next strategy, which employed Mikasa. Papa couldn't say no to Mikasa (Eren was sometimes put out that Mikasa held that power over Papa and he didn't. But then again, Eren didn't realize that _she _couldn't say no to _him_). He turned to look at his sister, who was quietly eating her own Mickey Mouse pancakes and making much less of a mess of herself. She'd been quietly observing the conversation, silently hoping that Eren would get his way.

"'kasa you want to play with Armin too, right?" Eren asked, almost unnecessarily. He knew Mikasa well enough to know she liked playing with Armin too. He also knew she liked to go along with whatever he wanted.

Mikasa nodded. "Yes. Armin is nice," she stated.

At this, Papa turned around again. He looked at Mikasa with a soft expression and sighed.

"We'll see," he conceded.

Eren smiled brightly with victory.

Of course, he didn't know that Levi was just as eager to have his children play with Armin as they were to play with him themselves. However, he couldn't just send his children across the hall. From what he gathered from first impressions, Erwin did things very proper and in order, just as Levi liked things to be done. So, the best course of action would be to wait for a proper invitation or arrangement to be made.

Levi was still surprised that Eren actually enjoyed Armin's company and vice versa. In fact, Eren hadn't had a night terror the previous night, which Levi couldn't completely attribute to making a new friend, but it certainly had been a positive influence. But most importantly, Mikasa was interested in being around someone other than himself and Eren.

Levi recognized that playing with other children their age would probably do wonders for them emotionally. Previously, he'd always berated himself for not giving his children more opportunities to socialize. It was just difficult enough trying to run the household _without_ throwing in the sort of activities required for kids to socialize. Levi also had concerns that his little brats _wouldn't _get along well with others or that any attempts at socialization would be horrible failures.

This, of course, stemmed from Levi's own troubles getting along with the general populace.

God, he hoped his isolated personality didn't rub off on his kids.

* * *

It turned out that Levi didn't have to worry about setting up a playdate at all. At exactly 10:00 there was an erratic knock at the door, which Eren ran to answer (despite being told on multiple occasions to let Papa answer the door). Lo and behold, two figures waited on the other side of the door: Armin standing shyly behind the legs of his babysitter.

"Armin!" Eren cried excitedly and turned behind him to call, "Papa! It's Armin!"

In response, Armin only waved nervously. Eren cocked his head to the side, confused at his new friend's behavior. He was acting all funny, like he was when he first came over the day before. Eren didn't understand why. They'd already played before, so there was no reason for Armin to be shy all over again.

Eren didn't have long to reflect on this, before Armin's tall and even _weirder_ babysitter crouched down and held out a hand.

"Hello! You must be Eren," the babysitter greeted cheerfully.

Carefully, Eren eyed the hand offered before him. For once, Eren actually considered his Papa's warnings about talking to strangers. This new person was odd, he decided. He couldn't tell if Armin's babysitter was a girl or a boy- it was even _harder_ to tell than it was with Armin. The person wore glasses and had long, messy hair that even Eren could tell would not meet his Papa's cleanliness approval.

"You're dirty," Eren stated bluntly. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

At that same moment, it seemed that Papa Levi had finally made it to the door, with Mikasa following behind as well.

"Eren! Don't be rude," he reprimanded- honestly, his kids could be such brats. He watched with satisfaction when Eren cringed and glanced up at him with an apologetic look.

Luckily, the stranger seemed to find this hilarious and laughed. They stood up and waved a dismissive hand.

"Oh don't worry about it. I'm Hanji, Armin's babysitter. And I'm not a boy or a girl," they introduced, with a little smile towards Eren.

Eren's little brow scrunched together in confusion. How was it possible to be neither a girl _or_ a boy. First, he looked to Armin, but he seemed completely unbothered by it. In fact, Armin was smiling at his odd babysitter. Next, Eren glanced up to Papa, for some sort of confirmation of the impossibility of being a not boy not girl. But Papa didn't look confused at all. Then Eren turned to Mikasa, who looked as impassive and quiet as ever.

With no one bothered, Eren simply shrugged his shoulders. It obviously wasn't a problem. He figured it was just one of those things he wouldn't understand (there were lots of things like that. Eren could be a little slow at times).

"Levi," Papa offered in introduction. He gestured to the little girl standing beside him, "and this is Mikasa."

"Yes, Erwin mentioned you," Hanji said in acknowledgement.

This made Papa quirk an eyebrow, but he made no comment.

"Armin and Erwin told me about the new friends they made yesterday," Hanji continued, "and Armin wanted to know if Eren and Mikasa would like to join us on our trip to the park."

Immediately, Eren perked up at this. He reached out a hand and tugged at his Papa's pant leg. With his most fervent expression, Eren looked up to Papa. Levi rolled his eyes at his son's eagerness.

"Yes, I think my little brats are dying to play," Levi answered over Eren's yelp of excitement.

The guests were invited into the apartment while they prepared to leave. As before most outings in the household, Eren couldn't find his shoes. He held one lone tennis shoe in his hand while yelling at Papa that the other was lost. The scramble to find the other shoe ended when Mikasa found it under their bed, which of course made Levi scold Eren for getting upset prematurely. Being a protective Papa, Levi also insisted they bring jackets, as the pleasant spring weather could easily turn chilly.

When they finally set off, Eren was anxious and antsy- two things he never particularly handled well. He trotted along, being carefully restrained by his Papa's hand encased tightly over his own. On Papa's other side was Mikasa, whose hand didn't really need to be held to keep her from running off. But she preferred it that way, finding it comfortable. Armin stood on Eren's other side and held Hanji's hand.

"I'm so excited to play with you!" Eren told him with a bright smile.

"Me too," Armin returned shyly. His face blushed a little and he looked away.

With a little frown of confusion, Eren continued to attempt conversation. "Where's your doll?" he asked, noticing the absence of the toy in Armin's arms.

"I don't like to take Tricia to the park," Armin answered. His blue eyes widened a little with surprise; he hadn't thought Eren would take such notice of him.

"Why not?" Eren asked.

Once again, Armin turned his face away. "Because I don't," he answered vaguely.

This answer didn't satisfy Eren at all. "Why?" he asked again.

"Because I just don't," Armin repeated, sounding more distressed.

In a moment of rare social aptitude, Eren dropped the subject, sensing Armin's distress.

The park was only a few blocks from the two families' apartment building. It was small, with a sandbox, a swing set, two slides, and a set of monkey bars. Despite its simplicity, the park was well kept and relatively clean- no public area where children played was every truly clean, which was something Levi still struggled with from time to time. There were already a few other children playing and a pair of caretakers observing from a park bench.

Before letting his little monsters loose on the world, Levi crouched down to give them instruction.

"Be nice and play well with the other kids," he stated firmly. He looked directly into Eren's face for the next part. "No yelling or being rough with the others. Do you understand?"

Eren nodded his head eagerly, "Yes Papa!" He was always willing to please.

Next, Levi looked his daughter in the eye. "You need to share Eren. No hissing at anyone who gets too close to him. Okay?"

Obediently, Mikasa nodded as well, holding the red baby blanket close (Levi wished she wouldn't bring it with her outdoors, it only meant he was going to have to wash it later. But there was no persuading her otherwise).

"Alright, go be free," Levi said, releasing the little hands from his hold.

Beside them, Hanji was finishing placing a floppy sun hat on Armin's head. They patted him affectionately before sending him off as well. Immediately, Eren grabbed Armin's hand and excitedly made a run to the playground, Mikasa following behind with pleas for Eren to slow down.

"Let's climb on the monkey bars!" Eren suggested breathlessly.

Instantly, Mikasa protested, "Eren you can't do them by yourself!"

"Yes I can 'kasa!" Eren retorted defensively. He turned to Armin for back up. "Armin you want to go on the monkey bars right?"

Armin ducked his head. "Um, I'm afraid of heights," he muttered quietly.

"What?" Eren asked loudly. He leaned closer to Armin's face. "I didn't hear you."

Shrinking back, Armin repeated himself, speaking even quieter. Luckily, Mikasa pushed Eren back before he could get even closer to Armin. She, unlike her brother, was better at reading social cues and could sense how uncomfortable Eren was making Armin.

"He said he's afraid of heights," she stated for him.

"Ooooh," Eren drawled with understanding. Then he shrugged his shoulders and gestured behind him. "Want to play in the sandbox instead."

Armin visibly relaxed and nodded.

The three settled in the sand, digging with their hands and making crude piles of dirt as they had no shovels or buckets to use. This didn't deter them though. Eren was particularly excited to play in the dirt, which wasn't something he was often allowed to do.

"What's that for?" Eren asked, pointing to the floppy hat on Armin's head.

Armin's hand automatically went to touch the brim as he answered. "It's a sun hat. So I don't get sun burned," Armin explained.

"It's pretty," Mikasa complimented, pointing specifically to purple ribbon adorning brim.

The pale cheeks on Armin's face pinked slightly with pleasure. "Thank you. Purple's my favorite color," he explained.

"I don't need a hat," Eren cut in. "I don't get sunburned. Right, Mikasa?"

"Yeah," she affirmed.

The three continued their work in silence after that.

Eren couldn't help but notice the way that Armin sat closer to Mikasa and seemed more comfortable around his sister rather than him. It wasn't that Eren was a jealous child by nature, but he was definitely possessive. He'd thought that after the previous day, he and Armin were friends too. But Armin didn't seem comfortable around him. That was particularly upsetting for Eren, who already struggled enough getting along with people who weren't Mikasa.

He watched Mikasa and Armin working together, making an impressive pile of sand, before sitting back on his heels and pouting.

"Armin, do you not like me?" he asked softly.

The pale head turned around quickly. Armin looked a little embarrassed and a little sorry. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short with a look of fear at something behind Eren. Curiously, Eren looked and saw two older boys standing behind him. They were looking right at Armin with gleeful expressions.

"What do you want?" Eren said in an unfriendly tone, feeling the possessiveness inside him flare.

Much to Eren's consternation, the boys ignored him. With a snicker, they pointed at Armin.

"Hey girlie boy," one of them taunted.

"Where's your dollie girlie boy?" the other said.

At the words, Armin flinched. Armin didn't make any attempt to respond to them and looked away. His shoulders hunched and body curled into itself, making him look as small as possible. In concern, Mikasa scooted closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, Eren understood what was going on and stood up to face the boys making fun of Armin. The boys stood a few inches taller than Eren and definitely looked older.

Did that make a difference at all? Of course not. Not in Eren's mind.

"Hey, be nice!" he stated firmly.

They ignored him.

"Nice hat," the first one said. "Makes you look more like a stupid little girl!"

As his anger levels rose, Eren's little hands clenched tightly into fists. "Stop it! Leave him alone!" he cried. He took a step forward and finally caught their attention.

"You're just a little kid. What are you going to do about it?" the second one taunted.

Eren's face scrunched up in frustration. What could he do? Papa Levi said he couldn't fight, but these kids weren't being nice to Armin. Hot tears were starting to fall down his cheeks and Eren moved to wipe them away in shame. Then inspiration struck.

"PAPA!" Eren screamed loudly.

The pair of boys jumped in shock. Almost immediately, Eren saw his Papa hurrying over with a stern expression on his face.

"What's going on?" he asked fiercely, seeing Armin curled up tightly and Eren in angry tears. His sharp eyes glared at the older boys. "What did you do to them?"

"They were saying mean things to Armin and Eren," Mikasa spoke up. Her voice was calm, but she glared daggers at the interlopers. Eren nodded furiously in agreement.

"I see," Levi acknowledged. His voice was cold (so cold that it frightened Eren. He knew Papa's voice only sounded like that when he was really angry). "You will apologize to my son and his friend and then you will leave them alone," he ordered the older boys. "Is that understood?"

The boys shook with intimidation (Levi almost felt bad for scaring some little kids so bad, but he supposed it was some mama bear instinct manifesting itself. He wasn't going to let some brats pick on his little ones) and nodded quickly. They mumbled some quick apologies and scurried away.

With the bullies gone, Levi crouched down- careful to not get any sand on himself- to the children's level. He could see that Eren was going to be fine and he was already wiping away the tears from his face. However, Levi was concerned about Armin, who was still huddled into himself.

"You going to be okay?" he asked softly, putting a hand on Armin's little shoulder.

Under Levi's hand, Armin tensed before slowly relaxing. Mikasa rubbed his back soothingly and muttered something about liking him the way he was. With his eyes wide with concern, Eren scooted closer to Armin.

"Do you want me to get Hanji?" Levi asked.

At this, Armin turned his head to look at the group of people surrounding him, watching him with concerned expressions. They all wanted him to be okay. They weren't going to leave because of what those boys had said. In fact, they had defended him. He rubbed his hand over his face with a sniffle.

"I'm okay," he said softly. "Thank you Mr. Levi."

The corner of Levi's mouth turned up in a little grin. "You're welcome, Armin."

Slowly, the three children began to get back to their sand building and Levi left them. Eren still felt unsure being close to Armin- he didn't want to make him uncomfortable. So, he hung back a little and watched Mikasa working closely with Armin.

"Eren," Armin said softly when he noticed him sitting several inches away. "Thank you for helping me."

With little shrug, Eren smiled and moved a little closer. "Does that mean I can play with you?"

Immediately, Armin nodded. "Come play with me," he requested. After a moment of hesitation he said, "I like you Eren. I… I want us to be friends. I was just scared."

Eren's head cocked to the side in confusion. "Why were you scared? We played yesterday. You weren't scared after that," he stated.

The blond head bobbed. "Yes. But I thought… I didn't think you'd like me still. Those boys… they think I'm weird."

Furiously, Eren shook his head. "No! I said I wanted to play with you again yesterday and I meant it. Of course I still like you today!" he explained adamantly. "I want us to be friends!"

At this, Armin smiled. "Okay."

"Good," Eren smiled in return.

When they walked back to the apartment building, Armin and Eren held each other's hands tightly.

* * *

AN: To those who asked when I would be updating next, I apologize for lying and saying Saturday evening! But when I went to post the new chapter, my internet decided it was going to stop working.

These chapters keep getting longer! Sorry this was more focused on the kiddies. There was going to be more with the grown ups, but the chapter was getting long enough. So look forward to that in the next chappie.

Thanks so much for the support! You guys have been great. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response, the plot of my little fic has grown! It's going to be slow burning, hope you guys don't mind.

Love,  
Allie


	6. Chapter 6

_Furthering Acquaintances _

Making polite conversation was never something Levi was particularly good at or fond of. Luckily, it was completely unnecessary in Hanji's company. Normally, Levi wouldn't enjoy the endless chatter and enthusiasm that they exuded, but somehow it wasn't a bother this time. Perhaps parenthood was helping Levi mellow out. Or maybe it was the subject of Hanji's chatter that interested him (yah, he was interested in learning more about the Smith family. Nothing wrong with that, right?). Regardless, Levi didn't have to do much talking, which was probably a good thing. Not many people found his particular brand of brutal honesty to be appealing- though Levi was beginning to wonder if it would matter at all to Hanji.

"Thanks for taking care of that," they said once Levi returned from taking care of the delinquents bothering his kids.

Before sitting back down on the bench, Levi pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the bench down- just as he'd done the first time. He sat up straight on the bench, keeping his back from touching the edge. Parks were filthy places. And Levi could only tolerate the dirt for so long.

He kept his gaze on the children this time, to make sure there were no more incidents. "Kids are little snots," he stated dryly.

That, apparently, was hilarious to Hanji.

"Really though," they said with breaths shaky from laughter. They took a deep breath and with a more serious tone, continued. "Thanks. Armin hasn't wanted to come to the park in ages. I was really surprised when he suggested we go today. He's a sweet kid, but he doesn't get along well with others his age."

With a small nod, Levi made a small noise in agreement. It sounded similar to his own little snots. Well, his kids enjoyed going to the park and their personalities were vastly different from Armin's. But they also struggled getting along with others their age. It was frustrating, because Levi knew they were good kids, but unfortunately the politics of child society wasn't always as welcoming as Levi assumed. Children were supposed to be accepting and play with anyone, or so he'd been told. But sometimes, children could be just as brutal as adults.

"People who can't accept people who are different are cruddy people who don't deserve the time of day," Levi stated as eloquently as ever. He watched as the three little ones moved from the sandbox to the swings. The sight of all the sand clinging to their clothing made him cringe.

Hanji nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "That's exactly right. I always try to instill that in Armin. He gets teased a lot for being too feminine. I want to be sure he understands that there's absolutely _nothing_ wrong with him," they explained. "But I worry that without anyone his age accepting him for who he is, he's going to think that anyway. My point is: I'm really glad he's made friends with Eren and Mikasa."

Again, Levi nodded in agreement. Armin was just as beneficial to his children as they were to him. Together, they could support each other despite their shortcomings. Levi supposed it was similar to how his own misfit family functioned.

"Armin told me all about Eren and Mikasa," Hanji continued. "From what he's said, you have sweet children, Levi."

Levi glanced in their direction and saw the sincere expression on their face. With a small smile to himself, he looked back to the playground. Eren and Armin were sitting on the swings, with Mikasa behind them giving them both pushes.

"I had nothing to do with that," Levi assured them. "They just came that way."

Hanji made a small noise of amusement. "From what Erwin said, I highly doubt that," they contradicted.

This had Levi turning his whole head towards them in surprise. His eyebrow was arched in question. That was a very intriguing discovery. After all, Levi had only spent about an hour in Erwin's presence. Surely, he couldn't have that much to say about him, after so little time.

"Papa, Eren is going to jump off the swing!" Mikasa's worried tone interrupted Levi's thoughts.

"What?" He asked sharply, turning back to the children.

Mikasa stood in front of him and was pointing to the swing set where Eren was pumping his little legs as hard as he could. The swing was arcing up higher than should be possible for a 4 year old. He watched as Eren adjusted his grip on the chains and Levi instantly understood what he was trying to do. The last several times they'd visited the park, Eren had tried jump off the seat of the swing from the highest point in its swing (he'd seen some older kids do it, so of course he had to try).

The child was determined to get himself killed, Levi concluded as he cupped his hands around his mouth to yell at him. "Eren Jaeger don't you dare!" Levi hollered.

On the swing next to him, Armin was watching with awe and horror while Mikasa made small worried noises. But Eren ignored all of them and leapt from the swing at the peak of its curve. His body soar un gracefully through the air in a long arc. He landed with such force on the dirt that he was immediately knocked onto his hands and knees. He didn't get up.

Immediately, Levi was on his feet.

"Eren!" he called as he took a few worried steps.

But he was stopped short by Eren's enthusiastic cry of success. Clumsily, he rolled over and sat up, his fists pumping in the air with triumph. When he caught sight of his Papa, he cried out excitedly to him.

"Papa! Did you _see _that?" His breath was short and pupils dilated with adrenaline. "I did it!"

Now seeing that his son was, in fact, unharmed, Levi allowed himself to be upset. Eren however, was so lost in his own small feat of strength he was completely unfazed by his father's stern look. He was even unbothered by the small abrasions on his hands and knees that Levi discovered upon closer inspection of his brat.

"Eren, you will not do that again, do you understand?" Levi scolded.

But all he received in response was a bright, toothy smile.

It was quickly decided that they had all spent enough time at the park.

* * *

"Let me see your hands," Levi commanded.

Three sets of clumsy, chubby hands were held out towards him for inspection. After a good dusting off outside and removing their dirty shoes and socks, the children were almost clean enough to resume playing in the Levi apartment. Before that though, Levi needed to be sure their hands were thoroughly clean.

"Very good," Levi commended after checking the palms, knuckles, and fingernails. "You can go play."

"Finally!" Eren said in exasperation. He already had to sit through his Papa disinfecting the owies on his hands and knees (they didn't hurt very much, but the medicine Papa used to clean them stung) and was ready to continue playing with Armin.

Levi rolled his eyes and left the bathroom to join Hanji on the couch in the living room. Kids are little snots indeed.

"You really didn't have to let us stay," Hanji said, repeating themselves for the third time.

"I said, it's fine," Levi stated impatiently. Honestly, couldn't people understand that he didn't do anything he didn't want to? "The brats want to keep playing anyway. And dinner isn't any trouble either. Armin needs the chance to eat more home cooked meals anyway."

Again, Hanji laughed. They seemed to think Levi was quite funny, which was rare. Perhaps, like Levi, they were simply starved for adult company. Levi suspected though that nothing particularly fazed Hanji.

"My boys do have a distinct lack of home cooked meals in their lives," Hanji agreed. They pulled out their phone. "I'll just let Erwin know. I'm sure he'll be happy."

Levi nodded distractedly, having pulled out his laptop to get some writing done. He figured that of all people, Hanji wouldn't find it rude. Company or no, he needed to get some work done in the afternoon to keep up with his schedule.

"You know, Erwin isn't very good at making new friends either," Hanji stated.

Without looking away from the screen, Levi made a small grunt of acknowledgement. However, his fingers did halt their typing and he listened with interest and what Hanji had to say next.

"He's such a private person. Mike and I- our mutual friend from university- worry that Erwin's too closed off. I don't think he's met new people outside of work in _years,_" they continued.

To his surprise, Levi found himself smiling oddly to himself. Now that sounded like familiar behavior to him. It seemed that in many ways, Erwin and he were similar. Levi hadn't quite decided if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Having a social life as a single parent is impossible," Levi countered. Didn't he know that well? "Regardless of how _sunny_ your personality is."

"Yes, that's true," Hanji agreed. "Which is why I think it's great that he's become acquainted with you. I was surprised this morning when he told me all about what happened yesterday. I think you'd be good for him."

"Whatever you say," Levi said noncommittally. He couldn't deny though, that the prospect of becoming better acquainted with Erwin was very appealing.

"And from what I've learned of you," Hanji continued, "I think he'd be good for you too."

That made Levi snort with amusement.

"And tell me, why does Erwin keep you around?" he retorted playfully- well, it was actually rather rude, but that was playful for Levi.

"Oh, he doesn't have a choice," they answered easily.

* * *

When Erwin stopped by after work, Hanji took their leave. Despite protests from both men, they stood firm in their decision.

"I've been hanging around this little guy all day," they insisted. "You guys can have fun on your own." Then they were gone with a farewell to Armin.

Erwin and Levi stood in silence in the entryway.

"Well they certainly know how to make themselves feel at home," Levi muttered.

That made Erwin laugh. "I hope Hanji wasn't too much of an annoyance. They certainly have a… bold personality," Erwin said half with amusement.

"They're not so bad," Levi admitted.

"Hanji does seem to have that effect on people," Erwin smiled. "They're a good friend. "

"Mhmm," Levi hummed.

And that conversation topic was exhausted.

"Thanks again for having us over," Erwin said, "You're very kind."

Levi turned towards the kitchen and shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Your kid helps keep my little snots entertained."

At the kitchen, Levi began to pull out dishes to set the table. Erwin watched, feeling a little awkward. He offered to help with dinner, but Levi assured him there was nothing else to be done but wait for the casserole to finish cooking.

"It's easier to cook for two adults and three children, than just one adult and two children," Levi explained. "So I really wouldn't mind having you guys over more often. If you ever need someone to watch Armin, he's welcome to come over here."

There, Levi had made an effort to make a friend. He'd made a clear invitation. It was surprising how nervous it made him. He didn't realize he'd be worrying about rejection. It was ridiculous and silly and so unlike Levi. Besides, Hanji had said that Erwin clearly had some interest in getting to know him better.

"I think Armin and I would both like that," Erwin answered sincerely. "Honestly, it's nice to have someone to talk to outside of work that isn't 4 years old."

Levi smiled at that.

"Could you corral the kids?" he requested, to which Erwin nodded and went in search of the little ones.

Once everyone was settled at the table, with clean hands (Levi didn't personally inspect them, but he trusted that Erwin's judgment would be adequate. For one night), the conversation was dominated by the children. It seemed that despite Erwin being a large, serious, intimidating man, Eren felt perfectly comfortable chatting with Erwin (Levi was positive that Armin was still frightened of him. Though, he supposed he was a frightening person). Together, Armin and Eren told Erwin about their day. Levi didn't realize his child could be so talkative.

It was apparent however, that Erwin was very good at handling children. At first glance, he appeared to be a serious business man; however Erwin listened patiently to everything Armin, Eren, and even Mikasa had to say and responded with genuine interest. Erwin seemed to know exactly how to interact with children in a way that didn't seem like he was talking down to them.

"Papa, can Armin stay longer?" Eren asked as the meal was wrapping up.

Levi glanced towards Erwin. He certainly wouldn't mind having a chance to talk more with him.

"If it's alright with Armin's dad," he replied as he stood up to take dishes to the sink.

Three little heads swiveled in Erwin's direction with pleading gazes.

"I don't see why not," Erwin answered.

Immediately the children hopped off their chairs and scurried to play. The kitchen was quiet except for the clinking sound of the dishes as Levi cleared the table. Erwin moved to help without being asked. Internally Levi was wracking his brain, trying to think of something to say. This was his moment. Time to say something and bond. But Levi simply started the process of washing the dishes; his body going on autopilot.

God he was so bad at this.

Luckily it was Erwin who broke the silence.

"Let me help you wash those," Erwin said, trying to shoulder his way to the spot in front of the sink.

Instantly, Levi pushed him back. "No, it's fine," Levi said firmly. "And I'm not just saying that because you're my guest. You won't clean them right. It'll be faster if I do it myself." As soon as he said it, Levi felt ridiculous. Yes, reveal to Erwin how neurotic he was. That was a good way to make friends.

Surprisingly, Erwin took it in stride. "Alright. Can I put them away?"

"That's fine," Levi nodded, internally feeling relieved.

Once again, they were in silence. It didn't take long for Levi to wash the dishes. He was efficient at what he did. It did slow him down, having to point out cupboards to Erwin, but it wasn't unpleasant to have help.

"If I may ask," Erwin began, once Levi was drying his hands with a clean hand towel, "What do you do? In terms of employment."

"I'm a novelist," Levi answered as he moved back into the living room to sit more comfortably.

"Really?" Erwin said with interest, taking a seat beside him. "Have you written anything I've heard of?"

Levi shrugged, "Maybe. I mostly write historical crime novels. Nothing particularly revolutionary. It's just an interest of mine that grew into a career. With two kids, it's usually a good job to work from home."

"Usually?"

"The little snots don't always find my writing time to be as sacred as I do," Levi answered easily.

Erwin laughed. "That's very interesting. I'd like to read your work sometime."

With a small hum, Levi looked away. He usually didn't know the people who read his books, besides his editor. He didn't have friends or family to share his writing with. Honestly, the thought of Erwin reading his books was daunting while also being flattering.

"What do you do?" Levi asked.

"Oh, boring office job with the government," Erwin responded tiredly. He didn't say anything more and Levi didn't inquire further.

They sat in a few minutes of silence before Erwin checked the time and announced it was probably time for him to get home and Armin ready for bed. Levi nodded. His own children needed to have baths after a day in the park.

"Before I go," Erwin began, while standing at the door. He was holding a sleepy looking Armin in his arms (Eren and Mikasa were pouting tiredly by Levi's side). "Here's my number," he said, pulling a business card from his pocket. "So that we can arrange playdates in the future."

Levi took it and nodded. "I'll text you," he said. Then added, "So you'll have my number too."

Erwin smiled. "Goodnight."

"See you soon," Levi said in farewell as he bent over a picked up a crying Eren.

He closed the door as soon as the Smith family disappeared behind their own door across the hall. Then, and only then, did Levi allow himself to smile- despite his two children who were exhausted to tears.

He'd been successful in furthering _two _acquaintances that day.

* * *

AN: Hey cuties!

I hope this meets your expectations! I can't tell if it's cute anymore. Work was crazy this week, so I could only update once. Oh, if only I had the energy I'd update several times a week (I'm always so jealous of writers who can whip out multiple chapters a _day)._

You guys are seriously the best! I love talking with my readers and getting to know some of you better. Let me know what you think.

Love,  
Allie


	7. Chapter 7

_Making Plans_

Since he was a child, Erwin had always been adept at dealing with people. He was so good, that most didn't realize how willingly they were being manipulated, insulted, or pushed out of the way. Not that Erwin would consider himself a bad person, he was simply charming and good at persuasion. From his mother he learned the importance of propriety and he quickly learned how far civility would go in getting what he wanted from others.

However, now Erwin was facing someone he didn't know how to deal with. In fact, he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted from him at all.

Levi was very intriguing to Erwin. He seemed the kind of person who wasn't fond of people, yet it was clear that despite being quite rough around the edges, Levi was a caring person. Regardless of seeming the sort of person who loathed children, he looked after two of his own. And, he'd been so kind as to invite Erwin and Armin over for dinner twice in a row, while hardly knowing them.

Erwin felt oddly distant yet intimately connected with this person he only knew by face until a few days ago.

Of course, Erwin wished to return the gesture, however he was unsure of how to go about it. Their previous interactions (all two) had revolved around the children. Not that it was a problem- in fact Erwin was very grateful that Armin had made friends- but he felt it limited his ability to get to know Levi as he would another adult.

Luckily, Levi seemed to want similar things and made the first move. Only a few minutes after Erwin and Armin had left their apartment for the second night in a row, Erwin received a text that read '_Kids already asking when they can play with Armin next' _followed by another: '_This is Levi, by the way.'_

That was Thursday night. As texting was something Erwin rarely did- he preferred calls for the most part and didn't have many correspondents with whom to text- he didn't respond and didn't expect more. The next morning however, his phone pinged with a new message from Levi that read, '_Morning.'_ With this new text, Erwin grew excited and knew this was exactly the opportunity he wanted to have a chance to get to know Levi better. Unfortunately, he wasn't certain how he should respond. Several minutes were spent in contemplation, before Armin required his attention. In the rush of the morning routine, Erwin didn't get the chance to make a reply.

Soon, Erwin was at work and lost in the paperwork and bureaucracy that came with a desk job in the Department of Homeland Security. Many would find the work unbearably dull, but Erwin was the sort of person who excelled at filing and dealing with stubborn, stupid people and thus was able to milk his own satisfaction out of it. Years earlier, he'd had a much more dangerous role in the department (one he couldn't speak of, even now). That changed, however, when he was widowed and suddenly, Erwin was Armin's only parent. He couldn't continue in a job that put in too much risk, not if he was all Armin had to rely on. If anything happened to him…

It wasn't until lunchtime that Erwin was again reminded of Levi's texts. His phone pinged in his pocket several times and it took quite a few seconds for him to realize that it was indeed _his_ phone (he was so unused to the alert noise for texts). There were three messages, all from Levi. As he read them in succession, Erwin grinned in amusement.

'_Are you receiving my texts?'_

_'Is this even the right number?'_

and finally

_'If this isn't Erwin…' _

It seemed he wasn't the only one who wasn't completely comfortable texting.

As amusing at Levi's uncertainty was, Erwin quickly typed out a reply. Well, as quickly as he could manage. He was ill practiced and his fingers were too large for the small keyboard, not to mention the frustrations with auto correct (he already had grudges with the auto correct on his phone from the one time he'd been forced to write out an important memo on the damn thing). Eventually, he was satisfied with his response, which read, _'Thank you for promptly contacting me, Levi. This is the correct number, I'm simply a terrible texter. Happy Friday.'_

The rest of the day passed with no more texts from Levi, which was fine with Erwin as his thoughts had turned to his son by the time he clocked out. On Friday nights, Erwin made an effort to do something special with Armin. Whether it was going out to dinner or watching a movie together, it didn't matter as long as it was a break from the routine of the rest of the week. When Maria was still alive, Friday nights were strictly reserved for dates. Now, Erwin simply carried on the ritual with Armin instead.

From the call he'd received earlier from Hanji, Erwin knew that Armin was waiting for him at home, having not gone across the hall that day (Hanji had deemed it important to give the other family a break). Already, Armin had voiced his desire to go to Taco Bell.

As Erwin walked through his front door, he was greeted by Armin who reached up with his little arms to be picked up. Generally, Armin was a pretty affectionate child, but Erwin found he was being more so than usual. Short, chubby arms snaked around his neck and Erwin received a wet kiss on his cheek, before Armin's blond head nuzzled into his neck.

"Hello to you too," Erwin greeted warmly, giving Armin a gentle pat on the back. Armin made a warm humming noise in response. The father wasn't sure if Armin was acting so snuggly because he was feeling tired or if he was in need of extra comfort that day.

Hanji appeared at the entryway then and they smiled softly when they caught sight of the embrace between father and son.

"How did everything go today?" Erwin asked with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Everything went smoothly as usual," they answered. "Armin was really cheerful today."

This was accompanied with a nod from Armin, who pulled away from his Daddy to speak for himself. Erwin observed that his eyes were bright and his smile was soft and warm.

"Today was great!" Armin gushed. "I'm really happy, even if Hanji said we couldn't go play with Mikasa and Eren today."

With a smile of his own, Erwin responded, "I'm very glad."

Armin resumed his snuggling and Erwin looked questioningly to Hanji, wondering what had put his son in such a good mood. Hanji, who was busy putting on their shoes, shrugged. They stood up straight when they finished and ruffled Armin's hair and gave Erwin a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"See you on Monday, boys," they said in farewell.

"Bye Hanji!" Armin called with a little wave and Erwin simply raised a hand in goodbye.

As soon as the door shut, Armin pulled back a little, looked up into his Daddy's face and asked, "Can we go to Taco Bell?"

* * *

The two of them were dressed far too nicely for a place like Taco Bell, but it was a part of the customs of the father and son's Friday night outing. Erwin was still in his work clothes, minus the tie and suit coat, and Armin was wearing his favorite lavender polo under a little cream colored cardigan. Of course, Armin preferred to dress nicer than most children his age, so this was a common enough occurrence. Erwin tried to ignore how sticky the table felt and enjoy his burrito supreme. Looking charming and adorable, Armin sat across from him, ignoring his taco in favor of the cinnamon twists (they were the sole reason Armin loved Taco Bell).

"And then Hanji and I played with Trisha," Armin was explaining. "She's doing really well, 'specially after meeting Mikasa and Eren. She likes them a lot."

Erwin nodded with interest, "That's good to hear."

"Daddy, do you think I can play with them soon?" Armin asked. "They're nice. And their dad makes really good snacks."

"Yes," Erwin said after a moment of thought. In his mind, he was already calculating when would be an appropriate time to see the family. "I think we can play with them again soon."

The little boy brightened. "Can they come over to our house?" he asked immediately. "I want to show them my books."

"That's a great idea Armin," Erwin answered sincerely. "What if we invited them to dinner tomorrow? How does that sound?"

To Erwin's surprise, Armin's face scrunched up in disagreement. "But Daddy, what would we feed them?" he asked seriously, "Mikasa's daddy can cook really good."

Trying not to feel offended, Erwin smiled good naturedly. "I can cook Armin. We'll make them something nice. Maybe one of Mommy's old recipes."

Fears assuaged, Armin nodded and continued to eat his cinnamon twists, eating each one carefully as if to savor them. In the meantime, Erwin was already drafting the text he would send to Levi in his head. Normally this would be the sort of thing Erwin would rather call about, but for some reason he felt a little anxious about inviting Levi's family over. It was odd, because Erwin hadn't felt nervous about this sort of thing since the first time he asked his late wife on a date.

So, later that evening, Erwin sent a text instead.

* * *

"Eren, if you don't brush your teeth this minute I will come and do it for you!" Levi threatened.

"No! I can do it myself!" Eren cried back.

Immediately, Eren, clad in one of Levi's t-shirts as a makeshift nightgown, turned around and ran to the bathroom. Levi listened for the telltale sign of the water running in the sink before turning his attentions to Mikasa, who was clinging to his side tiredly.

"Mikasa, it's time for bed, you need to let go," he instructed wearily.

Instead of obeying, Mikasa nuzzled her face into Levi's pants. "I'm sleepy," she mumbled.

Levi had long since learned how to understand mumbled and muffled talking and sighed. "That's why you need to get to bed."

The little hands extracted themselves from his legs, but then lifted in the air in the universal sign of 'pick me up'.

"Carry me?" Mikasa asked softly.

With a self-depreciating smile, Levi leaned down and pulled his little girl up into his arms so she rested on his hip. He knew how easily he bended to Mikasa's will, yet he still couldn't deny her. Especially when rested her head on his shoulder like she did right then.

"Come on, let's check on your brother," he announced, moving to the bathroom.

All things considering, the damage could've been much worse, Levi reminded himself at the sight of Eren's face covered in toothpaste. He'd been caught in the process of trying to scrub it all off, which was only succeeding in getting the front of him wet. With one arm still carrying Mikasa, Levi reached for the washcloth and roughly wiped Eren's face clean, despite his protesting.

"Off to bed now," Levi instructed, giving Eren a little push in the right direction. The little stinker dug his heels into the floor and turned around insistently.

"Wait, carry me too!" Eren whined, holding his arms up.

With a little difficulty, Levi leaned over and picked Eren up as well, resting him on the opposite hip. Immediately, Eren nuzzled his wet face into Levi's chest and Levi resisted a grimace- he didn't want to ruin one of their rare moments of physical affection. Slowly, he carried them across the hall and into their bedroom. Mikasa slid off him and onto the bed without instruction, but Eren needed more prodding.

"Go to sleep," Levi said softly, pulling their blanket up around the two of them.

He was in the process of tucking them in, when his pocket buzzed. Immediately, the kids, who had looked sleepy and ready to go to bed, started at the sound. Levi slumped in defeat, his easy bedtime ruined.

"What was that?" Eren asked anxiously.

"It's just my phone," Levi answered, pulling said object out to check it.

There was a message from Erwin. Oddly, Levi's chest fluttered with excitement. He quickly shook his head as if to shake away the feeling and read the text.

'_Armin and I would like to invite you and the children over to dinner tomorrow at 6. How does that sound?'_

"What is it?" Mikasa asked curiously.

"It's Armin's papa," Levi answered. "They invited us over to dinner tomorrow."

Instantly, Eren sat up with excitement. "Really! Can we go Papa? Can we go?" He begged, emphasized with little bounces that shook the bed.

"Don't beg," Levi corrected automatically, pushing Eren back down gently. "Of course we can go."

Mikasa smiled and pulled the blanket up to her face with delight. Always more demonstrative, Eren rolled back and forth to show his excitement. With a huff, Levi wrestled Eren back into place and ran his fingers through the messy hair to help calm the kid.

"I'm so excited!" Eren whispered, understanding that his Papa wanted him to quiet down.

Levi nodded with understand and re-tucked his boy back in. "We can talk about it more tomorrow, okay?"

Both kids nodded.

"Good," Levi said. Then, hesitantly, he leaned down and gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

"Night Papa," Eren murmured with a big grin. Mikasa was too sleepy to respond, but looked contented.

Levi quietly got up from the edge of their bed and stood at the doorway. "Goodnight, you little stinkers," he said affectionately and switched off the light.

After shutting their door, Levi pulled out his phone again. Earlier in the day, he'd felt a little silly as he attempted to text Erwin. But, he had told himself he would make an effort to be sociable, and it seemed to have paid off. Or he had his children to thank, he considered. Regardless, he quickly typed out a message in return.

'_We'll bring dessert.'_

* * *

AN: Well this chapter didn't go as I expected. There was going to be more, but it was long enough to stand on its own and I didn't want you guys to have to wait any longer (I think I typed out the exact same sentence in the last chapter's notes). In other news, these old men are such doooorks. It's almost embarrassing to write.

I absolutely love hearing from you guys! I've been surprised how quickly this has gained interest. You're all the best :3 Let me know what you think.

Love,  
Allie


	8. Chapter 8

_Dinner Observations_

Weekends weren't really weekends for Levi. They were the same as any other day of the week as far as his family was concerned. He still wrote on the weekends, he still chased after his children on the weekends, and the only difference was the programming on tv and the fact that nearly every other adult had a break from the busyness of the week. Not Levi.

To make up for this, Levi left his favorite chores of the week, grocery shopping and laundry, for Saturday and Sunday. Laundry because the sorting and repetitive motions involved with folding were mind numbing and soothing for him- more so than any other cleaning. And grocery shopping because it was the one time out of the week Levi was guaranteed out of the house- even if he had to drag along his children (though they generally were excited by trips to the store, mostly because Levi wasn't above bribing his children with candy in exchange for good behavior).

So, having plans to visit the Smith's apartment for dinner was a pleasant deviation from the norm.

But Levi was still going to get his shopping done. Now he just also intended to buy ingredients for the best damn dessert he knew he could make: his grandmother's lemon meringue pie. Oh yes, for this particular dinner, he was pulling out all the stops. Levi was embarrassed to admit it, but he was _very _excited and _very _eager to impress a certain Mr. Smith.

Oh god, he felt so ridiculous.

Regardless, as he was finishing tying Mikasa's shoe, he had the urge to text Erwin.

_'Going to the grocery store. Need anything?'_

The response was almost immediate.

_'Armin and I were just about to go ourselves. Shall we go together?'_

Even better, a chance to be around Erwin before this evening. Levi smiled to himself before letting Erwin know he and his gaggle of children would be waiting outside in the hall.

It surprised Levi how quickly he was getting to know Erwin, or rather, how quickly he felt comfortable enough around someone new. Levi wasn't the kind of person who grew fond of people quickly. Erwin seemed to be an exception to a lot of Levi's social customs. It was frightening, yet exciting all at once.

At the prospect of going grocery shopping _with Armin_, Mikasa and Eren were even more eager to get out the door, Eren hardly being able to hold still while Levi tied his shoes. When they finally got out the door, Erwin and Armin were waiting for them, both smiling pleasantly.

"Good morning!" Eren cried excitedly as he ran forward to envelop Armin in a tight hug. With a little laugh, Armin returned it. More quietly, Mikasa approached Armin as well and petted his hair gently in her own sweet greeting.

It took a lot of self-control for Levi to restrain himself to a small grin, rather than burst into an embarrassing 'awww'. Looking away from his stupidly cute kids, Levi saw Erwin watching them with an equally adoring expression.

"Well hello to you too," Erwin greeted fondly, glancing up to Levi, smile still on his face.

Feeling strangely embarrassed, Levi coughed. He hoped it would hide his awkwardness. Mentally, he shook himself of those ridiculous fluttering feelings. All they were doing was going to the grocery store and they were only doing that for the opportunity to get to know each other better. All of them, children included, not just him and Erwin.

"Alright munchkins, let's get going," Levi prodded, breaking up the impromptu cuddle fest.

Immediately, Eren scurried, dragging Armin and Mikasa with him, towards the elevators and down to the parking lot. Behind them, the fathers followed behind, making small pleasantries. Normally such small talk irritated Levi, but he found himself genuinely interested in hearing how Erwin had been since they last spoken and wanting to say how he'd been in return. At the parking lot, it was decided that they should each take their separate cars, as moving car seats was more of a hassle than it was worth.

"Eren, remember that if you're good I'll buy you a treat after we're finished shopping," Levi reminded as he was buckling the pouting child into his seat.

Almost instantly, Eren's frown disappeared as he schooled himself into a determined expression of good behavior. With a chuckle, Levi ruffled the boy's already messy hair as he pulled himself away and closed the car door. After going over to the other side of the car, securing Mikasa into her seat, and giving her a little kiss on the forehead (he was feeling rather affectionate), they were ready to go.

The drive over to the local grocery store was quick. In the backseat, the kids hummed and attempted to sing along to the cd of children's music Levi always kept playing whenever he drove anywhere with them. The father had a moment of contemplation when he realized what a domestic sap he'd become, almost singing along to 'Old Macdonald' too.

The two families parked their cars close together, Levi having followed Erwin most of the way to the store. As Erwin only had one obedient boy to wrestle out of the car, the two of them stood waiting while Levi first released Mikasa from her car seat, followed by Eren. However, knowing Eren's behavior well, Levi scooped the boy from the car and didn't let him down, holding him to his hip while holding Mikasa's hand with his free one (after an incident that included some dashing away, near misses from strangers cars, and one very livid Papa, Eren was no longer allowed to walk across the street or in parking lots. His Papa carried him instead).

"All ready?" Erwin questioned politely.

With a nod in response, the families entered the store.

Immediately, Levi went to grab one of the carts with a fake plastic car in the front for his snots to sit in. Usually, this was enough to distract them while Levi shopped. Erwin watched as Levi pulled out a small pack of disinfectant wipes and efficiently scrubbed any surfaces of the carts that would be touched by them. After the quick cleaning and settling Eren and Mikasa in the fake car, Levi pulled out a list from his pocket.

"Ready. Do you have a list?" he asked, glancing over to Erwin.

Erwin himself had grabbed a regular cart and lifted Armin into the little basket seat at the handle. He blinked for a moment, slightly confused by the question. He never made up a list of what he intended to buy.

A little impatiently, Levi responded before Erwin could say anything. "It's fine. You can just follow me. Or whatever," he stated, before quickly pushing the cart towards the first aisle.

Amused, Erwin followed behind, marveling at how quickly Levi moved for being such a small person. He watched as Levi moved, list in hand, striding up the aisle only to stop to place the items he needed into the cart. Then, he was off again, competently weaving through the store with the expertise of someone who had unlocked the secrets of grocery shopping. Erwin felt as though he was awkwardly fumbling behind, having no list and no clue. Whenever he shopped, he often ended up circling the store three times with a vague idea of what he wanted. It wasn't a very practical means of shopping and Erwin felt a little self-conscious, especially when comparing the contents of the two family's carts. Levi's cart had only fresh food and ingredients to use when cooking from scratch. Erwin's was full of readymade meals.

"You're very proficient," Erwin said, when he caught up with Levi in the produce section.

Busy weighing a bag of lemons, Levi didn't look up when he replied. "I've learned to be quick, before the little monsters get bored."

Of course, children seemed to have a sense for when it was the best time to cause trouble. Eren, seemingly tired of pretending to drive the cart around, rolled out of his seat and onto the floor. He popped up before his Papa could notice him on the unclean surface. He maneuvered over to where his Papa was picking out fruits and tugged on his pants.

Surprised, Levi looked down. "Everything okay Eren?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yah," Eren answered. He cocked his head to the side, "Can I help you shop?"

Erwin smiled down at Eren's eagerness to help, but to his surprise, Levi didn't seem as amused. With a low sigh, Levi looked back down to his son.

"Sure," he answered, not at all convincing, but Eren didn't notice his Papa's reluctance. "Here," he instructed, handing the bag of lemons, "put these in the cart."

The little hands gripped the bag carefully and Eren slowly walked back to the cart, stretching his short body up as far as he could reach before gently lowering the bag. In the time it took Eren to accomplish this task, Levi had already picked out the other items of produce needed. Erwin quickly understood why Levi hadn't wanted his child's help; it slowed down the entire shopping process. Eren wandered slowly beside the cart, needing constant supervision.

Another reason became quickly apparent. Eren also wanted to buy anything and everything. Erwin observed as Levi patiently refused him each time. Unfortunately, Eren slowly became more and more pouty with each refusal.

"No fruit snacks Eren," Levi said sharply, for the third time.

Sad green eyes looked up from the behind the brightly colored box. Both parent and child were clearly reaching their limit. Eren's lip wimbled under his Papa's hard stare.

"Put it back," Levi commanded.

Then the tears began to flow. Eren shook his head wildly. "No! Please Papa!" he cried.

This caught the attention of Armin and Mikasa, who were content to sit in their respective carts. It also caused a few heads of other shoppers to turn towards them.

"Eren," Levi said evenly, trying to defuse the situation. "If you continue to disobey, you won't get your treat."

That was the exact wrong thing to say.

"Nooo!" he screeched, throwing the box on the ground. "That's not fair!"

Erwin was impressed with the volume such a little body could produce. Other shoppers however, were not so amused. It was very clear to Erwin which shoppers were parents- with their sympathetic glances- and those who didn't fully understand- with their annoyed or frustrated expressions. Erwin couldn't help but smile with amusement. As a parent, he understood that no matter how good a parent you were, there wasn't much you could do to control your children when they started acting out in public.

In response to Eren's screaming, Levi's stern expression didn't change. Without saying a word he leaned over and picked the wailing child up. After shifting Eren so he was held by one arm at Levi's side, the father continued with his shopping- despite the kicking and wailing. Undeterred by his situation, Eren continued crying with abandon, despite the fact his Papa was ignoring him. Levi acted completely unaffected. Erwin was impressed that he was able to keep his cool during what many would consider an embarrassing situation.

Eventually, Eren must have realized he was getting nowhere with his crying and stopped. At last, Levi looked down at him.

"Are you done?" he asked unsympathetically.

Scrubbing at his eyes with his fist, Eren responded with a pitiful 'yes'. Levi let him down and crouched so he was eye to eye with his boy, keeping one hand on his little shoulders. Feeling embarrassed and distressed, Eren refused to meet his Papa's gaze. It was amazing how Eren could go from a little body of rage to a sad, sniveling mess.

"Eren, do you understand why you aren't getting your treat?" Levi asked calmly. He put a finger under Eren's chin and gently lifted his face up.

With a sniffle, Eren nodded his head. "I got angry. And I didn't do what you said."

Levi nodded. "That's right. It's okay to get angry about things, Eren. However it's not okay to disobey me and it's not okay to throw a fit like that," he explained in a firm voice. "Does that make sense?"

As he spoke, Levi looked Eren in the eyes, voice even; stern but calm. Eren shuffled his feet as he nodded.

"I'm sorry," Eren muttered. "I got too angry."

Levi's lips pursed. "We're still working on how you react when you get angry. You made a mistake. I'm not upset. I want you to understand that what you did wasn't okay," he stated. "Just try not to do it again."

With another nod, Eren closed his eyes tightly and leaned into his Papa's shoulder. Immediately, Levi put his arms around him in an embrace.

From an outside perspective, Erwin was really impressed. Personally, he'd never had to deal with a situation like that- Armin was too quiet to cause a scene, even if he was upset. Erwin had seen other parents react to similar situations however and Levi's response had surpassed them. By not getting angry and validating Eren's feelings, Levi had handled the whole debacle in a way that probably had the best effect on the child's behavior.

There had been no reason for Erwin to worry when he left Armin with Levi for the first time- was it only a few days ago? He had, inadvertently, picked the perfect stranger for the job. Despite a coarse exterior, Levi was caring. The more Erwin came to know Levi, the more he wanted to know about him, the more he came to trust him. Erwin would gladly trust his son to Levi any day.

While Erwin was lost in his thoughts, Levi had stood up with Eren clinging to the front of his shirt and once again resumed shopping (still quick and efficient, even with only one arm free).

"You coming Erwin?" Levi's voice broke through his musings. He was standing at the end of the aisle watching his neighbor expectantly with his dark eyes half lidded in boredom beneath the silky fringe of his hair.

And suddenly, Erwin recognized the fluttering feeling in his stomach and cursed himself.

With a small smile, Erwin replied, "Of course."

_He was attracted to Levi._

* * *

Supposedly, cooking with your kids was supposed to be a good, family bonding activity. It was certainly something Mikasa and Eren always wanted to do as soon as Levi stepped into the kitchen. Unfortunately, two four year olds are about as helpful with cooking as a punch to the face. Needless to say, Levi wanted to bake his pie by himself to ensure it was the best possible. So he resorted to a tactic he only used in the direst of circumstances: he placed the kids in front of the TV with a stack of dvds.

It was a very effective strategy.

In a few hours, the lemon meringue pie sat in the fridge cooling, looking absolutely perfect- it was some of Levi's best work- and the kids were antsy and restless from hours of movie watching.

At exactly 5:57 pm, Levi, with his pie in hand and flanked by his children, stood on the opposite side of the hall and knocked. It was the first time any of them would see the Smith apartment and Levi was surprised to find that he was just as excited as his little monkeys.

The door opened to reveal Erwin with a radiant smile and Levi tried not to choke on his breath.

"Eren, Mikasa!" Armin greeted cheerily from behind his Daddy's leg. "Come see my room!"

Immediately, the two went to follow, running past Erwin who chuckled at their excitement. Levi, though he thought their enthusiasm was cute, was still slightly embarrassed by their lack of decorum.

"What did you forget?" he called to them.

Halfway down the hall, Mikasa stopped and turned around in question- Eren was too far lost in the excitement of finally seeing Armin's house (even if it was exactly the same in terms of layout) to hear his Papa. As a hint, Levi lifted his foot and wiggled it. With a nod, Mikasa hurried back to the door and politely took off her shoes.

"Get Eren for me," Levi instructed as Mikasa went back down the hall.

"You forgot to take off your shoes, Eren!" Mikasa cried as she went.

"You don't need to worry about it," Erwin said dismissively. "A little dirt is fine."

But Levi shook his head. "No, they know I've told them to take off their shoes when they go into someone's house."

Though thinking about it now, it seemed a little silly to go to all the effort to put shoes on his children to walk across the hall. However, Levi was not about to let his children step in the filth of the building's hallways without shoes on their feet.

Erwin shrugged indifferently. "Alright," he said and then as an afterthought waved his guest in.

Realizing he was still standing awkwardly in the hallway, Levi stepped past Erwin's admittedly much larger body and into the homey apartment. As he toed off his shoes, Eren came hustling over and fumbled with his shoes awkwardly before running back to Armin's room. Once again, Erwin chuckled at the rambunctiousness of the child as Levi pushed the three pairs of shoes into a neat line with his toe.

"I, uh, brought pie," Levi stated, holding out the dessert in his hand.

"Ah, thank you," Erwin said sincerely, taking it. "I'll just take this to the kitchen, then."

Wordlessly, Levi followed him while eyeing the apartment critically. It felt surprisingly different, for having the same layout. The Smith's furnishings didn't have the same clean line, sleek aesthetic that Levi's did. It felt warm and cozy, if a little more cluttered. Levi could tell Erwin had made an effort to clean the place well and he tried not to be bothered by the stain on the carpet in the corner of the living area or the fine layer of dust on the bookshelf. The kitchen at least, had the sort of cleanliness that was the result of not being used often.

"Just make yourself comfortable," Erwin said. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Can I help?" Levi offered, but Erwin waved him off.

Instead he took a careful seat on the sofa and further inspected his surroundings. The bookshelf was crammed with books, completely unorganized and haphazardly stacked. Shelves that weren't too bursting with books held numerous framed pictures. Most of them were pictures of Armin, in various situations at various ages. Levi recognized Hanji in several of them as well. He supposed that being a nanny made them a pretty integral part of the family. There was one family portrait that particularly caught Levi's eye however; as it was the only one that Erwin was included in. In it, Erwin stood behind a beautiful woman who held a little pink and blonde bundle in her arms- Levi assumed the baby was Armin and the woman his mother.

_What had happened to her? _he wondered.

From the kitchen Levi could hear quite a racket. For a moment he was concerned about what Erwin was planning on serving for dinner, considering how he'd admitted a few days ago that he never cooked. Regardless of the meal, Levi would try to be polite about it. It could be hard, as his face tended to easily express when he was feeling displeased. Usually, Levi didn't care if he came off as rude- it was just in his nature. But for some stupid reason, Levi didn't want to hurt Erwin's feelings.

"Dinner's ready," Erwin announced.

After Levi wrangled the children, who were excitedly exploring every inch of Armin's room and reveling in all the exciting new toys, they all gathered around the Smith's kitchen table. There weren't enough chairs, so Armin had to sit on a stool on a corner next to his father. Resting in the middle of the table was a crockpot filled with roast beef and carrots accompanied with a bowl of mashed potatoes. Levi raised his brow appreciatively; it was an impressive meal, though it looked like a lot more than the five of them would be able to eat.

"It wasn't very difficult to prepare," Erwin stated, having read Levi's thoughts. He continued as he prepared Armin's plate, "It's a simple recipe from my mother. Unfortunately all her recipes make enough to feed an army."

At this, Levi hummed in amusement as he spooned food onto Mikasa's plate first, then Eren's. As expected, Eren made a small hissing noise as Levi placed a good portion of carrots on his plate. With a small flick on his ear from his Papa, he grudgingly quieted. But he continued to eye the vegetables evilly. Mikasa, being quieter in complaints, pushed the pieces of beef on her plate to the very edge and promptly ignored them. That is, until Levi looked pointedly at them and she grudgingly tried a piece.

"This is good," Levi stated, not just for politeness sake; he actually enjoyed the meal.

With a smile, Erwin graciously accepted the praise.

As he ate, Levi couldn't help but observe how well-mannered Armin was. Whenever he needed more juice, he asked his Daddy politely. As he ate, he daintily wiped his mouth with a napkin and kept his mess to a minimum. Glancing back to his children, Levi observed that Eren was eating with as much gusto as always (which led to a messy face, hands, and table setting) while Mikasa was picking at her food and poking Levi whenever she wanted more of something.

It was wrong to compare his children's' behavior to someone else's, Levi knew that. But Armin was so well behaved and adjusted. Part of it had to do with the children's inherent personalities, Levi understood that.

But part of it was a result of how they were raised.

What on earth did Erwin do to get such a perfect little boy? Levi wondered. He was actually a little jealous.

Immediately he reprimanded himself. _He loved his kids; he wouldn't trade them for the world, really. _But sometimes… it was just hard.

That was when Levi noticed he was doing a terrible job of being sociable and was letting his children do all that talking. Not that Erwin seemed to mind. He seemed to think Eren and Mikasa were the most charming pair in the world.

Admittedly, they could be pretty damn cute when they weren't busy destroying the carefully constructed sanity in Levi's life. Even then, they were still _undeniably_ adorable.

Or maybe Levi was simply biased.

"Armin where's your Mommy?" Eren asked suddenly. "I've never seen her."

Alright, Levi took it back. His children could be gut wrenchingly embarrassing at times.

"Eren," he reprimanded quietly, feeling horrified. He glanced up at Erwin in apology. It was true that Levi didn't know the situation with Armin's mother, but he could guess it was a touchy subject. Mothers weren't exactly a happy topic at their house…

To Levi's relief, Erwin smiled reassuringly.

"It's fine," he assured Levi. He looked at Eren and calmly answered, "Armin's mother died when he was just a little baby."

Eren's eyes went wide.

"I'm sorry Armin," he said quietly. Then he continued, more upbeat. "It's okay though, because my mommy died when I was little too. And Mikasa doesn't have a mommy either. We don't need our mommies because we have Papa!"

In a moment of affection, Levi reached out and ruffled Eren's hair. Eren could be such a sweetheart without even realizing it. Levi glanced up to see Erwin watching him curiously and looked away quickly.

Shortly after, the children excused themselves from the table to keep playing and left the adults to sit by themselves in comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry about that. Eren can be unintentionally rude," Levi stated, knowing that Erwin would understand what he meant.

Erwin shook his head. "It's fine, really. I don't mind talking about it." His voice was calm and even while he spoke.

"What was she like?" Levi asked, surprising himself. But he was curious and wanted to know more about Erwin and why he seemed to be so calm about something so tragic.

"She was very sweet, like Armin," Erwin answered, completely unbothered by the question. "Her name was Maria. We met at university- she was brilliant- and we started dating then." As he spoke, Erwin had a glazed over look in his eye and didn't meet Levi's gaze. His tone wasn't overly fond, but serene. "We'd been married 5 years when we decided to have a baby. There were complications, we had troubles getting pregnant."

Levi shifted uncomfortably-this information was so personal and Erwin was sharing it so easily, looking completely unfazed- but he continued to listen.

"Eventually, Armin was conceived, but the pregnancy was difficult. We both knew there was a high probability that Maria would be in poor health after the birth," Erwin continued. "She lasted about 6 months after Armin was born."

"I'm very sorry," Levi said sincerely.

Finally, Erwin looked at him. "Don't be," he said with a soft smile. "It happened a long time ago."

In response, Levi hummed noncommittally. He had a feeling that despite having been told a very intimate story, that Erwin had still held something back. Levi guessed that Erwin, behind that calm façade, was guarding his true feelings about the story from him.

For some reason, Levi was really bothered by that.

* * *

Levi insisted on helping with dishes, however Erwin had a stronger will than he did and in the end the dishes sat in the sink waiting to be cleaned at a later time. The children were still playing in Armin's room- happily if the noise they were making could be used as a judge. The two fathers ended up sitting next to each other on the couch, much as they had previously. Levi sat on the edge of his seat, still feeling a little awkward about their earlier conversation.

"May I ask you a potentially awkward and personal question?" Erwin asked, breaking the silence.

With a sideways glance, Levi thought it over before deciding his curiosity outweighed his concern.

"Shoot."

"Eren and Mikasa aren't biologically yours, are they?"

That was all? Levi shook his head. "No, they're not. In fact, we aren't related at all. They're adopted"

Erwin nodded thoughtfully. "May I ask how they came into your care?"

"It's an interesting story, actually," Levi answered. "Considering everything."

Having children had never even been a consideration for Levi. His own parents had been terrible and he'd decided as a teenager he'd never inflict his own wretched personality on any innocent child. Besides the fact he was almost certainly gay and not exactly rolling in boyfriends.

His youth and been rough- not the worst- but it certainly could've been better. Luckily, when Levi was finally able to move out on his own he ended up being neighbors with an eccentric young couple, the Jaegers, that graciously took him under their wing- or rather, Carla had taken him under her wing, as her husband, Grisha, was always busy with medical school.

It was Carla who saved him from what probably would have led to a life of crime. Levi knew he was close to it when he moved into the dumpy apartment complex; most of the occupants being poor college students or of the criminal sort. But Carla had introduced herself, bringing a plate of goodies with her and when she had learned Levi didn't know how to function in the kitchen, she invited him over for dinner every night (that's where Levi learned to cook, coincidentally). As Grisha was almost never at home for dinner, Levi and Carla had gotten to know each other very well. She had been able to work past Levi's prickly personality and they became friends.

It was Carla who had helped Levi find a stable job to support himself and it was Carla who had discovered Levi's talent in writing. Again, it was Carla who had encouraged him to go to the publishing house where Levi currently held a contract.

A few years passed and the Jaegers had a baby boy, Eren- Levi's Eren. For two years, Carla insisted that Levi was to be Eren's guardian in case the worst happened to her and Grisha. Of course, Levi stubbornly insisted that he was _in no way_ fit to take care of a child, even if he was fond of Eren.

But then the worst had happened in a car accident.

Suddenly, Levi was thrust into a wild debate with social services over the care Eren. After all, he was a single man in his mid-twenties of a questionably stable mental state. Luckily, the worker over Eren's case, Petra Ral, was understanding and kind. Of course it helped that Levi's income was stable and generous, he could work from home, and he and Eren were already familiar with each other.

Levi had been surprised how quickly he came to truly love Eren after officially adopting him. Even if they weren't related by blood, Levi had finally understood that unconditional bond between a parent and child that couldn't be properly described by anyone who hadn't had children. Immediately, Levi and Eren had moved into a nicer apartment complex and began adjusting to their new lives.

Almost exactly a year later, Levi had been contacted by Petra Ral once more. A certain three year old girl by the name of Mikasa Ackerman was in an emergency situation and needed a place to stay temporarily for her own protection. The little girl, already having been orphaned for two years, needed to get away from the abusive relatives currently taking care of her. Levi readily agreed and Mikasa came to stay. However, Levi didn't expect how quickly Mikasa managed to win both him and Eren over. What started out as a temporary stay, quickly turned to a permanent adoption.

Levi wasn't even surprised at how much of a sap he had become.

"And now it's almost been a year since Mikasa's been with us," Levi trailed off.

As Levi had carefully explained their story, Erwin had listened with rapt attention. He had a thoughtful and serious expression and didn't interrupt while Levi spoke.

"Thank you telling me this," Erwin said sincerely. "It was very personal and it means a lot to me that you felt comfortable enough to share."

Levi shrugged, trying to ignore the swelling in his chest at Erwin's words. "It's nothing really."

Erwin looked like he wanted to argue, but Levi suddenly sat up, effectively cutting him off.

"It's late, I should get the kids back," he stated.

It was a process tearing the kids sleepy away from the toys, getting their shoes on and shooing them out the door. All the while, Erwin stood by and thanked them for coming with that charming smile of his.

"We should make this a regular thing," Erwin suggested as Levi picked Mikasa up before she fell asleep in the entryway.

Levi staggered slightly as he straightened up.

"Okay," he replied.

Then, as quickly as he could, he dragged Eren by the hand back across the hall.

It wasn't until Levi had them both in bed that he allowed himself to contemplate what had just happened. With his face buried in his hands, he wondered what had possessed him to tell Erwin _everything. _And then agreeing to make family get togethers a common occurrence. He wasn't upset that he agreed to it, in fact he was almost giddy at the prospect.

But Levi was concerned for the reasons _why _he felt so comfortable with all this. He could barely admit it to himself, but he was very much attracted to the man. Erwin was just too charming for Levi.

Then Levi realized in his haze of fluttering feelings, he'd completely forgotten about the pie that remained uneaten at Erwin's apartment.

_He was so screwed._

* * *

AN: OMG This chapter is a beast. Sorry it took so long, but I didn't want to split the chapter and it has some pretty important stuff I didn't want to screw up. I can't tell if any seems in character anymore. But, we're making progress in terms of plot. So, yay!

Several people have asked if any of the other 104th trainees will be featured as ugly titan babies. Short answer, maybe? Long answer, it depends. I've thought about including them and I think it'd be really fun. It just depends if I can maneuver them into the plot. But, as I've said before, the more I write the bigger the story gets. So, I'll try.

Thanks so much for all your support and the interest you've given my fic. I'm writing it as an indulgence, but it's nice to see other people enjoying it as well.

Hugs and Kisses,

Allie


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